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KING GAB’S STORY BAG. 










































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Frontispiece .] 


KING GAB AND HIS BAG 



Gab's Story 



AND THE 


WONDERFUL STORIES IT CONTAINED. 


BY 




HERACLITUS GREY, r 

AUTHOR OF “ARMSTRONG MAGNRY,” “iN VAIN,” ETC. 

yYXoscGLaJlJl J CVl*sJIju> 



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CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, 

NEW YOKE, LONDON, AND PARIS. 









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CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

King Gab and his Bag 

The Wise Witch 21 

Henricus the Wise and Good 41 

Albalet, the Fairy Shut Inside the Tree .... 45 

Wise Sally 59 

Viola ; or, the Chain of Blood and Tears .... 65 

Care and the Cat 78 

Pip and his Last Pippin 94 

Grif and the Red Pip 103 

The Black Pip and the White Maiden 123 

The Blue Pip and the Fairy 140 

Bob and Tail, and the Tortoise Race 158 

Charmshine 165 

Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister ...... 175 

King Trick-trash 18S 





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PREFACE. 


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I do not know that any apology is needed for 
thus laying the contents of “ King Gab’s Story 
Bag” before an indulgent public, whom I have to 
thank for many favours. Nevertheless, as readers, 
and especially young readers, are gifted with a 
laudable curiosity to know why books are written, 
I may as well say that the composition of these 
trifles has formed the amusement of such leisure 
hours as I have been able to snatch from graver 
literary labours. They were written, in the first 
place, to be read in manuscript to a very limited 
circle of young ones who are dear to me ; and 
I can only hope that they may give as much 
pleasure to the wider circle to whom I now appeal, 
as they have done to me and to the little audience 
who were the cause of their production. 


HERACLITUS GREY. 













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KING GAB*S STORY BAG. 


ICING GAB AND HIS BAG. 

It was in the old days, before the new days had 
come, or had even been thought of, that King 
Gab lived. But he was not born a king, with a 
crown on his head. He was born very poor, 
with nothing in the world but a poor father and 
mother, and six brothers and six sisters as poor 
as himself. Now, as this family grew up they 
all quarrelled with poor Gab. 

“You can’t carry a sacK of wheat,” says 
one. 

“ You can't dig up a field in a day,” says 
another. 

“ You can’t brew beer, and you can’t bake 
bread,” says a sister. 

“ You can’t steal a pig, and run away with 
it,” says a brother. 

“You can’t run after a hare and catch it, 

B 


2 


King Gab's Story Bag. 

and you can’t fight with a bear and kill it,” 
says another. 

“ I don’t mind,’ 1 answered Gab, “ for I do 
not want to do any of these things.” 

“ You are a lazy dog, and good for nothing,” 
said his mother. 

“ Be off with you!” cried the father, “ and 
never come back to us any more.” 

“Off I go then,” answered Gab, “and may 
good luck pay you a visit. My back does not 
like carrying weights, and hard work does not 
agree with me, nor do I see the use of fighting 
and being killed. But I have a tongue that can 
talk, and I suppose I shall find in the wide 
world ears to listen.” 

With these words Gab started off to seek his 
fortunes. He had nothing to take with him but 
a strange Old Bag, with not so much as a crust 
or a penny in it. 

The sun shone so brightly, and the world 
looked so fair, that Gab journeyed on with a 
heart as light as his pocket, and sang all the 
way till evening came. Then he began to feel 
hungry and tired, and made up his mind to rest. 
Now, by the side of the road there was an inn 


King Gab and his Bag . 


3 


and in front of the door sat the host and his 
wife, and some neighbours, taking their supper 
together. Up goes Gab, and wishes them good 
evening. 

“You look tired,” says mine host; “won’t 
you sit down and rest?” 

“That I will,” answered Gab, “and thank 
you too. And that reminds me of the strange 
story of Conjuror Tick and his Magic Stick. 
Have you heard it?” 

“No,” says mine host; “so let us hear it. 
There is nothing in the world I like so well as 
a story.” 

“Then you must know,” says Gab, “that 
once upon a time there lived a conjuror named 
Tick, who found out a wonderful way of 
getting everything he wanted without paying 
a penny — — ” 

“ What a beautiful beginning the story 
has!” cried the wife of the host, pulling up her 
chair to the table, and leaning her head on her 
hands ; “ I could listen to that all night.” 

“ Then why don’t you let him go on ?” said 
the husband, giving her a bump ; “you women 
must always put in your say.” 


B 2 


4 King Gab's Story Bag. 

“ I wonder who is talking now I” answered 

she. 

While they were talking like this, Gab pulled 
his seat up to the supper table, and poured out 
a glass of ale. “ I am so thirsty,” says he, 
“ that I can’t go on till I have had something to 
drink.” 

“ Drink away,” said the host, “ and then 
go on.” 

So Gab went on with the story till he came 
to one of the best parts, and then he put his two 
hands on his empty waistcoat and said, “ Good 
people, you must know that I find myself so 
empty that I cannot say another word.” 

“ Make haste, wife, and cut him off a piece of 
bacon,” says the host, “ and I will draw some 
more ale.” 

So Gab made a good supper, and then went 
on with the story better than ever. 

“ I am sure I could listen all night,” cries 
the wife. 

“ Hold your tongue,” says the husband, “ or 
he will never get done.” 

“ No,” says Gab, “ there is not time to finish 
it now, for I must jog on.” 


King Gab and his Bag. 


5 


“ We must hear the end of the story,” said 
the husband, “ so stay, please, and we will give 
you a bed for the night.” 

So it was arranged, and Gab told most of 
the story that night, and finished it after he had 
made a good breakfast in the morning. Then 
they wished him good-bye, and gave him a 
bottle of wine and a meat-pie to eat for his 
dinner on the road. 

So Gab went on his way in the wide world, 
and never wanted for a meal to eat, nor for a 
bed to lie upon. 

After many days he came to a certain town 
where there was a fair, at which many rich mer- 
chants were assembled. Some had booths for 
cloth and silk, and some for pearls and dia- 
monds, and some for boots and bonnets. Gab 
was very pleased to see so many people at the 
fair, and he went and bought a very large 
old mat with three shillings a sailor had 
given him, and spread it in the midst of the 
fair. 

“ What have you got to sell ?” said the mer- 
chants to him. 

“ Seats on my mat,” answered Gab. “ Have 


6 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


you ever heard the story of Merchant Benjy and 
his sale of soft soap ?” 

“ No,” said they ; “ is it a good story ?” 

“ You shall hear for yourselves,” said Gab. 
“ You must know, then, that once upon a time 
there lived a merchant who found out a way of 
buying things for straws, and selling them for 
gold.” 

“ This is going to be a fine story, I can see,” 
said one of the merchants ; “ I must hear it.” 

“ And so must I,” said another ; and so said 
they all. 

Then Gab sat down in the middle of his 
great mat, and said, “ You have only to pay me 
a piece of silver each, and then you may sit 
down on my mat, and hear the rest of the 
story.” 

So each one gave him a piece of silver, and 
then they sat down as close together as oysters 
in a barrel, and were so delighted with the story 
that they would not get up to sell their silks and 
pearls until it was done. After dinner Gab 
made them pay two pieces of silver to hear 
another story, and on the morrow he charged 
each person a piece of gold for a seat on his 


King Gab and his Bag. 7 

mat ; and went away from that town very rich 
when the fair was over. 

“ Now,” thought he, “ I will have a fine 
house, and a lot of servants, and be a great 
man.” So he journeyed on to the city in which 
the king of those parts lived, and as soon as he 
had found a house, he gave great feasts and 
lived like a nobleman. And every one said that 
my Lord Gab’s feasts were better even than the 
king’s ; for every time he used to tell some 
wonderful story that was better than all the 
puddings and wine in the world. 

Now the king, whose name was Grab, was 
very angry when he found that his courtiers 
liked to hear my Lord Gab’s stories better than 
to play at “ Beat-my- neighbour ” with him, so 
he made up his mind to have Gab killed. Be- 
sides, King Grab was just going to war with 
King Brag, whose country came next to his, and 
King Grab had not got enough money to pay 
for as many soldiers as King Brag said he had. 
So King Grab sent three of his men with 
swords to kill my Lord Gab in his bed, and 
to bring away all the money they could find. 

The three men waited until the night grew 


8 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


dark, and then they climbed up a ladder into 
my Lord Gab's bed-room ; and one stood at the 
head of the bed, and one on the right hand, and 
one on the left ; and they all three drew their 
swords, and held them over my Lord Gab, just 
ready to strike him dead. 

But he had sat up late at a feast, telling one 
of his stories, and was not quite asleep when the 
men came in at the window. Then, when they 
drew their swords, he woke quite up, and sprang 
forward in the bed ; and at that moment the 
three men plunged down their swords, which 
of course only struck into the bed behind him. 

“That reminds me of the wonderful story 
of the three men who swallowed their swords 
without tasting them,” said Gab to the three 
murderers. “ Have you ever heard it ?” 

But they were so astonished that they did 
not answer a word. 

“ You must know, then,” began Gab, “ that 
once upon a time there were three murderers 
who could never be found out, because, when 
they had done the deed, they used to swallow 
their swords, and that too without tasting 
them.” 


King Gab and his Bag. 


9 


“ This is a fine story,” said one of the men ; 
“ let us hear it, for there will be plenty of time 
afterwards.” 

Then my Lord Gab went on telling the 
story until his servants found the ladder 
set up at his window, and, thinking thieves 
were there, rushed up and caught the three 
men. 

When they found their hands tied behind 
them, the three murderers said to my LoYd 
Gab, “ Please tell us the end of the story before 
we are sent to prison.” 

“That I will,” answered Gab, “after you 
have told me why you wanted to murder me.” 

So they told him that it was King Grab 
who had sent them. “And now,” said they, 
“ for the end of the story.” 

“We have come to the three men swallow- 
ing their swords without tasting them,” said 
Gab ; and with these words he pulled out the 
swords from behind him, and ran each of the 
murderers through with his own sword, and so 
killed them. Then, as he knew he should not 
be safe in that city any more, he went straight 
away to the country of King Brag, and took 


io King Gab's Story Bag. 

with him all his gold and silver — and the 
strange Old Bag. 

As soon as he came to King Brag’s city he 
took a fine house, and a lot of servants, and 
gave great feasts as he had done before ; and 
the courtiers came to hear his wonderful stories. 
Now King Grab and King Brag were always 
going to war, and many of the nobles and 
courtiers did not like this. So one night my 
Lord Gab told them the story of a sword that 
was struck into a king’s head like a flower-pot, 
and grew into a tree of plenty afterwards. This 
story he had told in Grab-land, and the young 
nobles had liked it very much ; and here in 
Brag-land the young nobles liked it no less, 
so my Lord Gab said that if they had a 
mind he would show them how it might be 
done in real earnest. And to this they all 
agreed. 

The next day they heard that King Grab 
was on his way with his army, taking prisoners 
the cows and sheep, and stealing everything he 
could. So King Brag started off with his army 
too, but he had not nearly so many soldiers as 
he said. My Lord Gab and the nobles went 


King Gab and his Bag. 1 1 

with King Brag, and in three days the two 
armies encamped opposite each other. 

As soon as this was done, my Lord Gab told 
his servants to put up a beautiful tent of silk 
between the two armies, and all day long they 
kept on carrying into the tent wine, and cake, 
and flowers, and meats of all kinds, the most 
delicious that ever were tasted ; and the beau- 
tiful smell of the feast came as far as King 
Brag’s tent on the one side, and to King Grab’s 
tent on the other. Then Lord Gab’s servants 
went and invited the two kings to come and 
feast before the battle of the next day, and all 
his old friends from Grab-land were invited, 
and all his new friends in King Brag’s army. 
At first the two kings would not go ; but the 
smell was very delicious, and the nobles said 
that it was quite right to meet each other as 
friends at a feast before they killed each other 
the next day. So when dinner was ready, the 
two kings, and their generals who were fond of 
war, and all the nobles, came, and the great 
tent was full. 

Now my Lord Gab’s old friends were very 
glad to see him again, and as soon as dessert 


12 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


came prayed him to tell one of his stories ; and 
his new friends asked him too. As for the two 
kings, they had never heard one of these won- 
derful stories, so they prayed Lord Gab to 
begin at once; and they each sat stock-still, 
with their ears wide open, and their eyes and 
mouths as well, so as not to lose a single word. 
So my Lord Gab stood up in his place, and 
told them the most laughable of all his stories — 
The Monkey and the Maiden — and in a short 
time the two kings and all the nobles began to 
laugh so loudly that Lord Gab could scarcely 
go on. It was a strange sight. They all roared 
and shook with laughter till all the things 
rattled and danced on the table. Some held 
their hands at their sides, and some had to un- 
button their coats, to save themselves from 
bursting ; and when they looked at one 
another’s red faces, with tears of fun streaming 
down, they laughed all the more ; and the 
servants jumped up and down behind the 
chairs to save themselves from splitting ; and 
the noise went as far as the two camps, and the 
soldiers came, and looked in and listened, and 
began to roar with laughter like the rest. 


King Gab and his Bag. 


13 


Then, in the very middle of the story, there 
came in one of my Lord Gab's servants, dressed 
up in the hairy sldn of a monkey, with a long 
monkey tail, and with a very sharp sword in 
his hand. He did not laugh like the rest, for 
Lord Gab had chosen a servant who was deaf, 
and had written down what he was to do. So 
first he chopped off King Grab's head, and it 
rolled over on to the table, with a laugh all over 
the face ; and then off went the other kings 
head, and that laughed even after it rolled into 
a dish; and the two bodies sat up in their seats, 
and shook backwards and forwards, just as if 
they were laughing still. Then four of King 
Grab’s generals were killed in the same way, 
and four of King Brag’s generals, who were 
fond of war. And all this time my Lord Gab 
went on with the story of the Monkey, and so 
much did all the guests laugh, and the servants, 
and the soldiers at the tent-door, that no one 
stirred to stop the man with the sword, and no 
one moved to run away. Indeed, it seemed as 
if the two kings and the generals must have 
shaken off their heads into the dishes through 
laughing too much. 


14 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


At last, when the story was done, and the 
guests began to grow quieter, my Lord Gab 
asked all the nobles who had heads on whether 
it was not better to turn the sword into a tree 
of plenty instead of going to war any more. 

And they all cried out, “ Let us be brothers, 
and fight no more ! Long live King Gab !” 

And each noble went to his regiment, and 
said what had happened, and told over again 
the story of the Monkey ; and all the soldiers in 
the two armies danced about and laughed, and 
then ran to meet each other by the tent, and 
called out, “ Long live King Gab !” For they 
all thought this was much better than killing 
each other .the next morning. So the crown 
was put on King Gabs head, and he ruled over 
the two countries of Grab-land and Brag-land, 
and had a palace built at the corner where the 
two countries join. 

Now in those parts there was a third 
country called Tog-land, over which ruled 
Queen Angelicalina. The fame of her beauty, 
and of her great riches, had spread far and 
wide, and many princes and kings had visited 
her court, and had tried to win her to wife, but 


King Gab and his Bag. 


15 


the queen would have none of them. King 
Grab she had sent away because he was too 
harsh and too old ; King Brag she would not 
have because he was proud, and silly, and 
boastful ; other kings and princes because they 
were too young, or too fat, or too thin, or too 
poor. Indeed, Queen Angelicalina now said 
that she was so fond of ruling, and doing what 
she liked, that she would never marry any one 
at all. 

“We will see about this,” said King Gab, 
and he told his servants to make ready for a 
visit to Tog-land. 

What a fine sight it was when King Gab 
came to the queens court! He had white 
horses with gold trappings, and black horses 
with silver trappings, and a great coach richly 
carved and gilt, with cushions of red damask 
silk on which he sat ; and a thousand of his ser- 
vants galloped before and behind. Then Queen 
Angelicalina came down the steps of her palace, 
dressed in silks and satins and fine lace, with a 
gold crown on her head, and the lords and 
courtiers round her, and she took King Gab by 
the hand, and led him into her palace. As for 


i6 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


the king, he was charmed with her beauty, and 
he kissed her hand, and sat down on a throne 
at a feast opposite the queen. 

When the dishes of meats were finished, and 
the puddings and pies, and apples and nuts, 
were taken round to the guests. Queen Angeli- 
calina stood up with a goblet of wine in her 
hand, and said, “ Long live King Gab !” 

Then the king rose up and said, “ Fair 
queen, may you be as happy as Queen Kiss- 
andot of Kree-kree-land, and more I cannot 
wish you.” 

“ I do not know who she was,” said Queen 
Angelicalina. 

“Then I will tell your majesty,” said King 
Gab, and he sat down comfortably, and began 
to tell the story, with the queen and courtiers 
listening so still that not even a nut was 
cracked. 

When King Gab had got half-way through 
he stopped, and said, “ The rest of this story 
I can only tell to her majesty Queen Angeli- 
calina alone.” 

So the queen sent every one away, and King 
Gab went on to the most interesting part of all, 


i7 


King Gab and his Bag. 

and then he said, “ Fair Queen Angelicalina, the 
rest of this story I cannot tell, unless you will 
marry me and be my queen.” 

“ No,” said she, “ I will not marry, because 
then I should not be master. But finish this 
story, and anything else will I do.” 

But King Gab would not say another word 
of the story, and the queen could not sleep all 
night for thinking of it, and wondering what 
the end could be. 

So in the morning she prayed the king again 
to finish the story, but he kissed her hand, and 
said that he loved her so much that he would 
not finish the story until they were married. 
So all day long she was very sorrowful, and 
could not eat a crumb for thinking of the happy 
Queen Kissandot ; and at last she had to give 
her hand to King Gab, who married her with 
great pomp, and told her the end of the story. 

So King Gab became very great, and ruled 
over those three countries, and he was the first 
king who came to a throne through having a 
clever tongue. And he was more powerful than 
any of the kings that went before him. For 
the three countries were joined together, Tog- 

c 


i8 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


land and Grab-land and Brag-land ; and instead 
of the people going to war, they planted gardens, 
and became rich, and met together to talk, and 
were very happy, and called the whole country 
Gab-land, after the name of their clever king. 
And many years did King Gab rule over them, 
and told many stories, and was loved by the 
people, until at last he grew very old and 
very ill. 

Then, on his death-bed, he called his two 
sons to him, and said, “ My son Strong-arm, 
you are my first-born, and to you will I give 
this kingdom, for you are clever and strong, and 
will be able to keep it.” Then Strong-arm 
kissed his father, and went away very pleased. 

“ What have you got left for me?” said the 
other son, very sorrowfully. 

“You know, Fibs, you have always been my 
favourite son,” said King Gab, “ so I have kept 
the best for you.” And with these words, he 
pulled from under his pillow an Old Bag. 

“ Why, what is the use of that ?” cried Fibs 
— “to put rubbish in?” 

“No, but to take fortunes out of — or what is 
better than fortunes,” answered the old king. 


King Gab and his Bag. 


19 


“ Whenever you put your hand into this bag, 
you will find a strange story in it. This is the 
bag I brought away with me from my father’s 
house when I went into the wide world to seek 
my fortune. It was a story out of this bag that 
got me my first supper ; the stories out of this 
won me my friends, and my three kingdoms, 
and my wife, and all the happiness of my life. 
So, my dear son Fibs, I give the Old Bag to 
you.” 

Then the king died, and was buried. Fibs 
did not find such fine stories in the Old Bag as 
his father had, or else he did not tell them so 
well, and he never won friends and kingdoms 
by them. But one of Fibs’ stories was thought 
very much of, though it was rather long ; it was 
called “The History of the World.” 

When Fi'bs died he gave the Old Bag to his 
son Peterkin, who told many stories from the 
bag, and taught the people to give him golden 
money for wooden beads. But the time would 
fail to tell of all the people who bought or bor- 
rowed the bag, or inherited it, or stole stories 
from it. The poet Sing-wing had the bag 
once, and so had his brother Sing-song. Most 

C 2 


20 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


likely the best stories that ever came out of the 
bag were the first ones, and it seems that most 
of these are lost. And yet, perhaps, the best 
are still to come. It is quite certain that some 
of the stories out of the Old Bag are very silly ; 
but, for all that, a story is a story. I only wish 
I could give you the stories that King Gab used 
to tell himself, but I cannot find them. Here, 
in this book, I have put together some of the 
tales one may hear in Gab-land, and, by a cer- 
tain mark in the middle of them, I think they 
have come out of King Gabs Bag. 



The PVise W itch. 


21 


THE WISE WITCH. 

There was only one thing the young Prince 
Dyk wanted to make him perfectly happy, and 
that was a fair princess to be his bride. So, 
at least, thought the king his father, and the 
courtiers who lived in the palace. One day, 
therefore, the courtiers brought Prince Dyk to 
the king, as he sat on his throne, and the king 
spoke as follows : — 

“ Our dear son and Prince Dyk, out of our 
fondness for you and desire for your happiness, 
we now wish you to take to yourself a good 
and lovely princess to wife.” 

“ May it please your majesty,” replied the 
prince, “ I do not know where there is such a 
princess ; and, for my part, I think it is better 
to have no wife at all than a bad one.” 

“ A wife you must have,” said the king, 
getting angry, “ or else how should I have any 
little grandchildren to play with me, when I 
grow old ? Besides, there are plenty of prin- 
cesses good enough for you.” 


22 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


'‘Your majesty has often told me that we 
cannot be expected all to think alike,” said the 
son, making a bow, “ but, indeed, just now your 
majesty said ‘ a good and lovely princess,’ not 
merely one good enough for a son who does 
not seem to be worthy of politeness.” 

At this the king looked very angry, and 
there would have been a great quarrel, but my 
lord the chief minister of state, a very old and 
wise courtier, stepped forward and said, “ May 
it please your august majesty the king, and may 
it please your royal highness the prince, there 
has journeyed into the kingdom a certain wise 
wizard woman, who knows all things, and who 
may tell how Prince Dyk may find a good and 
lovely princess to make his bride.” 

Then said the king, “ My lord chief minister, 
how do you know that this witch is so wise, and 
knows all things?” 

“ Because,” replied the chief minister, “she 
told me the most secret and sad event of my 
life.” 

Then said the king, “ I will have no secrets 
among my courtiers ; you must tell the secret 
to me.” 


The JVise IVitch. 


23 


“ No, your majesty, I dare not,” said the 
chief minister sadly ; “ it is a great grief, and I 
will die with it hidden in my heart.” 

“ Then you shall die with it in your heart 
this very day,” said the king, in a passion. 
“ Give me back ^our blue silk robe of state, that 
it may not be spoilt ; and take off your collar to 
have your head chopped off.” 

“ Alas !” cried the chief minister, “ I think I 
would rather tell my secret. Once I had a 
daughter ; she was very beautiful, but so wise 
that she made me feel ashamed. So one day 
when she guessed my hardest riddle, I drove 
her out of my house, and I have never seen her 
since.” 

“ And did the old witch tell you this ?” asked 
the king. 

“Yes,” said the minister, “and she told 
me what the riddle was, and what was the 
answer.” 

“ When the kipg and the courtiers heard 
this, they all said that she was the wisest witch 
they had ever heard of. So the king had her 
brought into the palace, before the throne. 

Now the witch was very ugly to look at, and 


24 King Gab's Story Bag . 

was dressed in patches and lumps of rag. Her 
head was covered with folds of rag, and strings 
of tatters hung round her face and shoulders. 
A heap of rags of all colours hid her arms and 
body, down to the toes of her feet. But she 
had some ornaments — verystrarige ones. Round 
her head and neck, and arms, and ankles there 
were wreathed glittering snakes with flashing 
eyes. These were her pets, but she had taken 
out their stings. 

So the king and the prince wondered to see 
the witch, and believed that she must be as 
wise as she was strange. And the king told 
her why they had sent for her ; and, when the 
witch asked him, Prince Dyk described what 
sort of a princess he would like to have for 
his bride. 

Now, while she was listening the witch fell 
in love with the prince, though she was so ugly, 
and she sighed deeply, and two tears fell from 
her eyes to the ground. If she loved him ever 
so much, and was ever so wise, it was not likely 
the prince would choose an ugly old woman for 
his wife. But though she was so ugly, for all 
that she could not help loving him, so she said 


The Wise Witch. 


25 


that she could tell him how to find a bride who 
was as lovely as she was good, and as wise as 
she was lovely, and who would love him truly 
with all her heart. But, the witch said, she 
would only tell him on one condition, and that 
was that he should give her three kisses. 

Then the prince said that if she wanted to 
be kissed, one of the courtiers should do it, or 
one of the servants, but that he would not. 

“ If you will not kiss me,” said the witch, 
“you will never find the only wife who can 
make you happy.” 

Then the prince changed his mind, and stood 
in his fine clothes a little way off the old witch, 
and bent forwards as if to kiss her hand. But 
the witch rushed up to him, and clasped him in 
her arms against her breast, and shook the 
patches of rag all round him, and kissed him 
many times on his eyes and lips, and held him 
fast till he had given her the three kisses he 
had promised. 

Then she let the prince go, and sat down on 
the floor in front of him, and said, “ You must 
learn from me to sing half a verse, and when 
you find a princess who can make up the other 


26 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


half of the verse, and end the tune rightly, then 
you must marry her, for she alone can make 
you happy.” 

Then the witch sang, and, though she was 
so ugly, her voice was so beautiful that every 
one wondered to hear it ; and these were the 
words — 

“ Fair, true, and wise, adorned with every grace, 

Where is the maiden who shall be my love ?” 

“ But,” said Prince Dyk, “how shall I know 
what is the end of the tune, and how shall I 
know what is the right ending of the verse?” 

“ Your good ear must tell you the one, and 
your good judgment the other,” answered the 
witch. “ And now you must promise that you 
will do as I say, and come home in a year and 
a day. And I will come back here at that time 
too.” 

So the prince gave his promise. Then the 
king turned to his chief minister, and said, “ It 
is all through you that this witch has come here, 
so if my son is not back safe and sound in a 
year and a day, and a wife along with him, you 
shall pay the forfeit of your head.” 

“ I think it would be fairer, your majesty, to 


The IVise IVitch. 


27 


have the witch killed if the prince does not come 
back,” said the chief minister. 

“Odds, bobs!” cried the king, “do you want 
to have your head off at once ?” 

Then, when every one looked round, the 
strange witch was gone. 

The very next day Prince Dyk started on 
his travels to find a bride. He went to many 
kings’ courts, and saw many beautiful prin- 
cesses, but there was not one who could finish 
the verse and end the tune. The prince was 
very sorry for this, for some of the princesses 
he liked very much. Some princesses he liked 
with red hair, and some with brown, and some 
with black ; some with blue eyes, with black 
eyes, with grey; some short and fat, some little 
and slim, some tall and grand ; some merry, 
some quiet, some clever, and some proud. 
And many of them would have been glad 
to marry the prince, and tried hard to finish 
the verse, but none of them could end it 
rightly. 

For Prince Dyk had a good ear for music, 
and he could tell that none of them ended the 
tune ; nor could the princesses, either, make 


28 


King Gab's Story Bag. 

the right rhyme with “ love.” One princess 
chose the word “prove:” the prince shook his 
head. One sang the word “grove:” the prince 
put his fingers in his ears. Another ended the 
line with “glove,” but this had nothing to do 
with the sense. Another ended with “shove,” 
and Prince Dyk ran away horrified. He could 
never call his love any princess who said 
“ shove.” 

Once, when the year was nearly gone, he 
found a princess who charmed him very much. 
She was very pretty, and gay, and kind, and 
her name was Sacharilla. The king, her father, 
was very willing that Prince Dyk should wed 
his daughter ; and as for Sacharilla, she was 
tired of being at home, and determined that the 
prince should have her. 

“ My dear prince,” said she, one day, “ I 
will do anything in the world to please you.” 

“You please me, whatever you do,” answered 
Dyk — “and when you do nothing too.” 

Then she leaned her head very lovingly on 
his arm, and looked up to his eyes as if she 
asked for a kiss; so he bent down and their lips 
met. “ How much prettier she is to kiss than 


The Wise Witch . 


29 

the old witch !” thought the prince; “how I 
hope she can finish the verse I” 

So he said, “ Sweet Sacharilla, you shall be 
my bride, if you will only finish singing a verse 
for me.” 

“Oh,” said she, “is that all? I will soon 
do that.” 

“ But many princesses have not been able,” 
Dyk said ; “ so please try very hard.” 

“ I would do much more for you than that,” 
answered Sacharilla, pressing the prince’s arm. 

Then he sang in a clear voice — 

“ Fair, true, and wise, adorned with every grace, 

Where is the maiden who shall be my love?” 

After a minute Sacharilla went on : 

“ Her saintly soul is mirrored in her face ” 

Then she stopped. 

The tune was not quite right, Dyk thought ; 
and if she meant herself, surely she must be 
lacking in modesty. 

Sacharilla sang on — 

“ Look now, and choose the maiden from above.” 

But Dyk shook his head. “ The tune does 


30 King Gab's Story Bag . 

not go right,” said he ; but the words, he 
thought, were still more wrong. Sacharilla 
tried again and again, but he could see now 
that she was proud, and vain, and pert. 

“ Oh, never mind the silly verse,” she cried 
at last ; “ I am tired of it. When we are mar- 
ried I will sing the other half, or else another 
song twice as good.” 

“No,” said he, “dear princess, you must 
sing this aright first, or I can never marry you.” 

“ But you must marry me, now that you 
have kissed me,” said Sacharilla. 

“That does not follow,” said the prince; 
“ do not be silly.” 

Then Sacharilla undid her hair, and tore 
her dress, and screamed very loudly ; and the 
king came running into the garden where they 
were, and all the courtiers. 

“ What’s amiss now?” said the king very 
angrily. 

“Whatever is the matter?” asked the cour- 
tiers in a great state. 

Directly Prince Dyk began to speak, Sacha- 
rilla screamed worse than ever to drown his 
voice, and stood pointing at him with her finger; 


The Wise Witch . 


3i 


and then she said, “ Take away that wicked 
prince ! He drew his sword, and was going to 
run me through the body! Oh dear, oh dear!” 

It was of no use Prince Dyk trying to speak; 
she began screaming again as loudly as she 
could. 

Then the king in a great rage told his ser- 
vants to take the prince away, and lock him up 
in the castle till he should be put to death. So 
the prince was put into a deep dungeon where 
there was only one small window, not large 
enough for him to get through. 

After a time Sacharilla came to the window, 
and said, “ Prince Dyk, you had better now 
promise to marry me, or if not, to-morrow cer- 
tainly you shall die.” 

“ After all this,” said the prince, “ I would 
rather die twenty times than have you for my 
wife.” 

So Sacharilla went away in a rage, and the 
prince sat thinking how he might make his 
escape. 

Presently another face looked in at the win- 
dow ; it was the ugly witch, with her ringlets of 
rags and her necklace of snakes. 


32 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


“ Prince Dyk,” she said, “ I have followed 
you everywhere, though you did not know it. 
If you are brave I will deliver you to-morrow — 
but on one condition.’' 

“I think I am brave,” answered Dyk. “What 
is it you want of me ?” 

“ I ask you for three kisses,” said she. 

Dyk thought it was of no use to refuse, so he 
put his face to the window, and the witch pressed 
her cheeks against his, and her lips, and gave 
him many kisses ; for all this time she loved 
Prince Dyk in her heart, though she looked 
so ugly. 

“To-morrow,” said the witch, “they mean 
to burn you. There will be a great crowd to 
see the sight. Stay quite still till all the people 
have come near, and till all the soldiers have 
come off the bridge, then follow me and do as 
I do.” 

“ I will,” said the prince. 

The next day Prince Dyk was led out to be 
burnt. A great crowd of people were there, 
and they cried, “ Shame, shame on the wicked 
prince ! May he burn well to-day !” 

All the palace windows were filled with the 


The Wise Witch. 


33 


king’s servants, and the courtiers sat on a raised 
platform where they could see the sight best. 
Here also the king sat, on a high throne covered 
with red silk. As for the Princess Sacharilla, 
she sat by her father’s side, and she was dressed 
in black, as if she was very' sorry that the prince 
should have to die ; but all the while her eyes 
sparkled for joy. 

As soon as all was ready the people began 
to crowd nearer and nearer to see the pile of 
wood lighted. Now Prince Dyk stood quite 
still on the wood, and looked all around for the 
witch, and began to think he should have to 
die. “ If I could only break these cords round 
my arms,” he thought, “ I would try to escape, 
and wait no longer.” So he tried to snap the 
cords, but they were too strong; and all the 
people laughed at him, and told him the fire 
would soon do for his cords and him too. 

Well, just at the last, he saw that the sol- 
diers were coming away from the bridge that 
was opposite the king’s throne, and the prince 
looked all round again for the ugly witch. 

The soldiers who stood by the throne lit their 
long matches, and came up to the wood-pile. 

D 


34 


King Gab's Story Bag. 

“ Stand back ! stand back ! ” cried a wild 
voice near the bridge. There was the witch, 
with her heaps of rags streaming in the air, 
her eyes flashing like fire, and with a splendid 
snake in her hand, darting its tongue at the 
people. 

“ Stand back! stand back!” she cried, 
moving her arm and the snake over her head ; 
and the people fell back on each side, leaving a 
space right up to the faggots. 

“ Back ! back!” she cried, in a wild voice 
that made all the people shiver with fear. 
“ Stand back, or you shall fall down dead!” 

In a moment she stood on the faggots of 
wood ; then she drew a glittering sword from 
beneath her long trailing rags, cut the bonds on 
the princes hands, gave him the sword, and 
pointed to the bridge. 

The people shrieked. Some of the soldiers 
ran in the way, but Dyk struck them down. In 
a moment, Dyk and the witch stood together on 
the bridge. 

“Stop them! stop the wretch!” cried the 
king. 

“ Kill him! kill him 1” screamed Sacharilla. 


The IVise Witch . 35 

“ Soldiers, strike them down! don't spare!" 
cried the captain. 

The people -shrieked. The soldiers rushed 
along the bridge. 

“ Follow me!" cried the witch wildly, and 
she took a leap off the side of the bridge. 

The prince looked round, and then took a 
plunge also into the raging stream below. 

The soldiers had not their bows with them, 
but only their spears ; they threw these with all 
their might, but in too much hurry to aim well ; 
and, besides, the current was carrying the two 
quickly down the stream. 

At a bend in the river below the bridge lay 
a boat, all ready for the prince. The witch 
reached it first, and climbed in, and gave her 
hand to the prince to help him in. Then he 
helped to undo the fastening. At this moment 
the witch looked up, and cried out with fear. 
One soldier had got his bow, and drew the 
arrow to the head, and cried aloud, “ To settle 
the wicked prince!" Then the arrow came 
whizzing through the air. But the witch 
raised her arm to shield the prince, and the 
arrow struck deep in, and stood quivering. 

D 2 


36 King Gab's Story Bag 

But the witch took no notice, and cried wildly 
to the prince, “ Take the oars and row; I will 
sit at the helm, and guide the boat.” 

“ But let me take out the arrow first,” said 
the prince tenderly. 

“ Afterwards,” said the witch. 

Now the strong current, and the brave row- 
ing, soon carried the boat far down the river, 
and then the witch took out the arrow, and hid 
it away in her heaps of rags. And then out 
of a rush-basket she brought wine and a 
beautiful pie for the prince, and ate a little 
herself. 

Now the prince wished to make many thanks 
to the witch for saving his life in such danger to 
herself, but when he saw her seated in the boat, 
looking more ugly than ever with her wild rags 
all wet, and her eyes that were so bright now 
hidden out of sight, he found that he could only 
say very poor words. So the witch said, “ Do 
not thank me like this, please.” 

Now, after three days and three nights, the 
boat came near to the dominions of the king, 
the father of Prince Dyk. Then said the Wise 
Witch, “We must go at once to the king’s 


The IVise IVitch. 37 

palace, for the year and a day are nearly 
passed.” 

So they made their journey as quickly as 
they could, and they reached the palace on the 
very last day. 

By this time the king was afraid that he 
should never see his son any more, and my lord 
the chief minister was expecting that he should 
really have his head chopped off. So, as soon 
as the prince arrived, the king got up off his 
throne, and threw his arms around his son, and 
kissed him on both cheeks. 

“ But where is the princess, your bride ?” 
asked the king. 

“ Alas ! my dear father, I have not been able 
to find her,” answered the prince, and he told 
the story of his adventures. 

“Well,” said the king, “as the plan for 
finding me a daughter-in-law has failed, there 
is . no reason that I know of why the chief 
minister should not lose his head. This part 
of our agreement, at least, can be kept.” 

At these words the witch stepped forward — 
for she had come to the palace along with the 
prince — and she said, “ The time is not quite 


38 


King Gab's Story Bag. 

gone. Let the prince sing his part of the verse 
once more, and let him remember his promise.” 

Now there was a very grand company 
assembled at the palace, and many beautiful 
princesses were there ; so Prince Dyk looked 
all around, and then stepped forward, and 
sang — 

“ Fair, true, and wise, adorned with every grace, 

Where is the maiden who shall be my love ?” 

Once more many princesses tried to finish 
the verse, but none were able. 

Then said the king, “ Let the chief minis- 
ter’s head be chopped off.” 

But now the ugly witch stepped forward, 
and came up to the side of the prince, and 
looked up to his eyes, and, in her beautiful 
voice that made them all wonder, she sang — 

“ All good she learns when gazing on thy face, 

Thou her dear lord, she is thy Silverdove.” 

At this moment the chief minister sprang 
forward, and, with tears in his eyes, took one 
of her hands. 

“What!” said the prince, “ and do you 
expect me to make you my bride?” 


The IVise IVitch. 


39 


“Never! never!” cried the king; “the 
witch shall surely be burnt.” 

“ Remember your promise!” cried the Wise 
Witch to the prince, “ and remember this !” and 
she took the arrow from her trailing rags. 

Then the prince stood still and thought, 
and at last he said, “ It is true I made the 
promise, and it is true you saved my life. 
But spare me from marrying you, I pray. Yet 
if you will not let me go free, I must make you 
my bride.” 

“This is the only thanks I will take,”. said 
the ugly witch, “ so give me three kisses before 
the people to pledge yourself to me.” 

And all the court was very silent, and the 
prince came, and took the hand of the witch, 
and kissed her. 

And the king and all the people were very- 
grieved as they saw the noble prince in his 
beautiful dress, and the ugly hag in her 
draggled rags, standing together to be man 
and wife. 

Then after he had kissed her, the Wise 
Witch drew off the long rags from her body, 
and from her feet, and arms, and head ; and 


40 King Gab's Story Bag. 

there stood a lovely maiden, with long fair 
hair, and a lovely face, and with fair arms and 
limbs clothed in fine silk, and her eyes were 
very soft and beautiful ; and the prince clasped 
her to his heart, and was more happy -than 
words can tell. 

As for my lord the chief minister, he was 
very happy too, and kissed her, and said, “ My 
sweet, long-lost daughter, you have come back 
to save your poor father’s head, and I know 
you have forgiven my bad treatment of you. 
I knew it must be my daughter when you 
sang your name, Silverdove.” 

And Silverdove, leaning on Prince Dyk’s 
arm, said, “ My lord and husband, I love you 
with all my heart, and will only live to make 
you happy. And now, after this year of ad- 
ventures, you are able to compare me with 
other women, and I know you will love me 
beyond all the rest.” 

“ Yes, my sweet love, I do,” he answered, 
“ and will as long as ever I live.” 

So the king joined their hands, and the 
wedding was celebrated with great pomp. 


Henricus the Wise and Good. 


4i 


HENRICUS THE WISE AND GOOD. 

Of all kings that ever lived, Henricus was one 
of the wisest and best. All day long he made 
laws, and looked after his subjects, and re- 
viewed his soldiers, and altered the streets and 
the towns, and gave justice. He found so 
much to do, that he could spare very little time 
for each thing ; and no one in the kingdom 
worked so hard as the king ; and yet his people 
did not grow good and happy. 

“ There never was such a good king,” his 
courtiers said to him, “and never such a wicked 
lot of people, or else they would all have grown 
good by this time.” 

But the queen prayed the king not to do so 
much, and to do a little with more pains; “For,” 
said she, “ the people cannot leave off their old 
ways all at once, and they do not like so many 
laws, and so much looking after.” 

“ You are as silly as other women,” answered 
the king, “ and do not deserve to be my wife. 
So stop at home and take care of the children, 


42 


King Gab's Story Bag. 

while I go, like a king, to visit the towns of my 
kingdom, and to make my subjects good.” 

So King Henricus went through the land 
giving justice. 

After many days he came to a certain .town 
not far from his chief city, and in the evening 
he went on to the roof of the palace to see 
his own home far away, and to think what 
new law he could make for the good of the 
people. 

But a sad sight met his eyes, and made the 
good king very angry. On the roof of a small 
house, close by, stood a man with a bunch of 
canes in his hand, who kept on beating, without 
any mercy, some beasts with long hair, that 
were so gentle, however, as to stand stock- 
still. 

Now the king thought that cruelty was one 
of the worst vices, for he said it showed that a 
man’s heart, or a woman’s either, was bad and 
selfish and unfeeling. So when the king saw 
this cruel sight he soon made a new law, 
“ That any man, woman, boy, or girl, big or 
little, old or young, who should be found beat- 
ing, pinching, or hurting, by any manner of 


Henricus the IVise and Good. 


43 


means, any cat, dog, horse, donkey, cow, pig, or 
any kind or sort of beast or animal whatsoever, 
in a cruel and wicked manner, in spite or sport, 
or for any bad feeling, should be punished with 
death, for the sake of teaching mercy and show- 
ing how bad a thing is cruelty.” 

As soon as he had written this, the king 
sent his soldiers to cut off the cruel man’s head, 
and to bring him the beasts that had stood 
stock-still. 

So they made haste at the king’s order, and 
brought back the man’s head and the beasts 
with long hair. 

“ What animals are these ?” asked the wise 
king, seeing they stood stock-still. 

“ May it please your majesty,” answered the 
town clerk, who came back with the soldiers, 
“ these animals are lions and tigers stuffed with 
straw.” 

What a wicked man he must have been 
then to beat them so!” said the wise king, very 
angrily. “What harm could they have done 
him ?” 

“ May it please your majesty,” answered the 
town clerk, “he had taken them out of his shop- 


44 King Gab's Story Bag. 

window to-day, and was beating the moth out 
of their skins.” 

“ Why, what sort of a man was he then ?” 
asked the wise king. 

“He was honest Peter, the furrier,” answered 
the town clerk. 

And many like things this busy king did, 
and so his courtiers called him Henricus the 
Wise and Good 1 


A lb diet the Fairy . 


45 


ALBALET, THE FAIRY SHUT INSIDE 
THE TREE. 

Up to this day there is no magician whose 
name is better known in many parts of Fairy- 
land, than that of Old Hidewide. Every one 
said that he was as wise as he was old, and no 
one could remember the time when Old Hide- 
wide was not a queer, thin old man, with long 
white hair, and bright deep eyes. He could hide 
fairy gold in the rivers till he wanted, it ; he 
could hide the waters up in the clouds and carry 
it away to rain where he liked ; he could hide 
the big sun behind the clouds to keep the 
people he did not like in the dark. He could 
hide himself away in holes and caves so that 
nobody could find him, and he could hide one 
thing inside another so that not even the 
cleverest could guess where it was. It was 
wonderful to see him play at hide-and-seek ! 
That was the game he liked best of all — and 
no wonder, for no one could find the things 
when he had hidden them, except by accident. 


46 King Gab's Story Bag . 

Why, he could hide fire in flints, and light in 
stones, and honey and wine in the green plants. 
And, moreover, lie could always find all sorts of 
good things where nobody else would look ; for 
those that hide can find. He could bring plum- 
cakes and apple-dumplings out of lumps of dirt, 
and silk dresses as yellow as gold off the boughs 
of trees, and pretty cups and saucers and plates 
out of the stones under your feet. So every one 
paid him great respect, and called him my lord 
the King of the Wizards, and made him a bow 
whenever he went by; and Old Hidewide liked 
this very much. 

Now more than all this, Old Hidewide used 
sometimes to use his magic, and make strange 
creatures to live in the fairy wood. How men 
and women, and cats and dogs, and the 
rest, are made to live in our world is another 
matter ; the creatures Old Hidewide made 
were not like us. Once this magician set about 
making a spirit-fairy who was to be the love- 
liest sprite that ever the sun shone on. It was 
a difficult piece of work, and took a long time. 
Of the earth he took an atom from the heart of 
a mountain ; of the sea he took one drop from 


A Ibalet the Fairy . 


47 


the depths of the ocean. He had to catch bright 
sunbeams, and rays of the moon and stars, and 
shadows of flying birds, and small pieces of 
darkness out of the middle of night. Bright 
blood he drew from a lion’s heart, and tears from 
dying men ; he took the glad notes of the lark 
and the sad music of the nightingale, the colours 
of precious stones and the sweet odours of 
flowers. And all these he mingled delicately 
according to the principle of his art. 

Now, during all this time he called the fairy 
who was going to be made Albalet, and every 
day he looked into his magic crystal phial to 
see if the mixture of sunshine and the dew, and 
the blood, and the tears, and the rest, was ready 
to turn into a living creature. But sometimes 
the living liquid was red, and sometimes green, 
and sometimes blue, but it never would come 
clear white, and that was what he waited for. 
So Old Hidewide grew very angry, and used to 
scold Albalet every day with many cross words, 
just as if she was already born, and as if it was 
her fault. 

Well, one day the magician took the crystal 
flask into the wood, and held it a long time in 


48 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


the golden sunshine, but the colour of the liquid 
would not come white. 

“ Wicked, ungrateful Albalet,” cried the 
magician in a rage, “ why will you not get 
white as I wish ? Why do you make me wait 
so long? Wicked fairy, why do you give me 
so much trouble ?” 

Now all the time it was his fault, or the 
fault of time, but not the fairy’s fault, for she 
had not yet come forth into life. And so, of 
course, Albalet could not answer. 

Then the old magician grew more angry. 
“ Why don’t you answer my words?” cried he, 
“and why don’t you answer my expectations? 
Bad, obstinate fairy, I will pay you out for this ! 
You shall learn what it is to offend his majesty 
the King of the Wizards !” 

With this, he searched about till he found a 
tender young ash tree growing in the forest, and 
he made a wound in the stem, and took the 
stopper out of the crystal phial, and held the 
lip of the crystal close to the wounded bark of 
the tree. Then he whispered many strange 
words, and poured the vital fluid slowly into the 
heart of the tree, and said as the drops fell — 


Albalet the Fairy. 


49 


“ Blood and tears, and light and dark, 

Love and fear, and peace and strife, 

Mix and mingle ’neath the bark, 

Till ye form a fairy life.” 

Then, when the last drop fell, the old magi- 
cian closed up the bark of the tree, and went 
his way through the wood. 

Now, after many days, when the magic 
drops had trickled deep into the tender fibre 
of the wood, the life came slowly to the poor 
imprisoned Albalet, and she found herself shut 
up in the heart of the tree. But she did not 
know where she was, nor what she was, nor if 
there was any world at all outside the ash tree. 
And it was quite dark, and very strange, and 
very sad for poor Albalet. “Ah me!” said she, 
“what am I? Am I the tree? But what is the 
tree ? Alas 1 I know nothing but only this — 
that I am full of pain, and that all is dark!” 

It was sad, too, for the ash tree. It groaned 
and cried when the deep wound was made in it; 
and while the magic drops were trickling down 
its woody veins the tree used to shiver and cry; 
but the worst came when poor Albalet was born 
in the midst of the trunk of the tree. “Ah 

E 


50 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


me!” it said, “what can this be happening to 
me? What can this be that stirs and moves 
within me? Is it my own self? Is it a new 
soul waking up in me? Alas! I only know this, 
that I am full of pain and can scarcely live.’ 

But the fairy spirit and the ash could not 
understand what each other said, because they 
spoke in different languages 

It was a sad time. The sunshine could not 
make the ash tree happy, and the night brought 
no rest. Summer and winter passed, and spring 
and autumn, and the poor tree grew up crooked 
and bent, and dwarfed and wild, and very un- 
happy. As for Albalet, it was always night to 
her, and she did not know what summer and 
winter were, for she could not look out of her 
strange prison and see the world in the white 
snow, or with its flowers. 

Day and night the ash tree sighed and 
groaned with its pains ; day and night poor 
Albalet sighed and cried in her prison. It was 
a sad spot. The winds came and shrieked 
aloud in the branches of the tree, or would stay 
still and moan, listening to poor Albalet’s cry- 
ing. Wild beasts of the forest came here to 











































































































PRINCE TALBA LISTENING TO POOR ALBALET. 


\P*$e §i. 





Albalet the Fairy. 


Si 


groan and die ; all sorrowful birds lodged in 
the branches ; everything that was sad came 
here to lament, because the place was wild and 
dark, and full of sympathy. 

Now in all the world there was only one 
person who was pleased at what had happened, 
and that was the old magician. He used to 
come and listen to the wild beasts, and the wild 
winds, and the groaning of the ash tree ; but 
most of all he loved to hear the crying of poor 
Albalet in her prison. “ Now you know, you 
wicked fairy, what comes of disobeying me,” he 
used to say. 

But the kind little people of the forest and 
the good fairies used to come and wonder who 
was closed up in the tree, and try to comfort 
the sobbing spirit and the ash ; but none of 
them could tell how poor Albalet might escape. 
But of them all, the one who came the oftenest 
and grieved the most was the fairy Prince Talba, 
and when he heard poor Albalet complaining 
sadly within the tree, he would sit down and 
weep. “ Never have I heard,” he used to say, 
“ so sweet a voice as this. It is sweeter than 
the song of the lark in heaven, but it is more 

E 2 


52 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


sorrowful than the voice of the nightingale in 
the night. I wish I could deliver this sad spirit, 
even if it cost my life.” But he could not tell 
what to do. 

Well, one night there came a dreadful storm; 
the thunders rolled, the lightning flashed, the 
rain beat in torrents. The ash tree waved its 
arms wildly in the air, and groaned and shrieked. 
Poor Albalet felt the tree rocking and shak- 
ing, and cried aloud in fear and sore trouble. 
“Alas,” said she, “the end of the world is come! 
Surely the end of the world is come !” 

Now the storm was so great that it woke up 
Prince Talba in the king’s palace, and when he 
woke he found that his eyes were full of tears. 
“ Why,” said he, “ in my sleep I have been 
weeping for the sad spirit in the ash. I must 
go and see if some new grief has come to her.” 

So he hastened through the wood, and the 
thick rain beat on him but could not keep him 
back, and the lightning seemed to strike at him 
as if it was the flash of the sword of a giant ; 
but he feared nothing, and so he came to the 
tree and heard poor Albalet wailing, “ Alas, the 
end of the world is come 1 ” 


Albalet the Fairy . 53 

Well, just then a white flash of lightning 
struck the poor ash tree ; all the place seemed 
on fire. The prince staggered backwards ; the 
poor ash shrieked in its death-groan, and was 
burnt nearly to the ground. The prince cried 
out with wonder and stood still in great asto- 
nishment, for he saw a strange sight. 

When the lightning ran down through the 
heart of the tree, Albalet cried out in a great 
agony, “Alas, the end is come!” But the fire 
could not burn her, but only the tree ; so in a 
moment she found herself standing on a heap 
of ashes, with the wild storm raging around 
her. “Alas,” she cried, “I have come into 
another world! Ah, how terrible this new world 
is !” and she held out her arms wildly in the air. 

As for the prince, he had never seen any one 
so beautiful as Albalet now looked, so pale and 
white in the dark storm, with tears in her sad 
eyes, and with her white arms reached out in 
the darkness. So he stepped close up and took 
one of Albalet’s white hands and put it to his 
lips, and said, “ Sweet fairy, I am so glad you 
are now free.” 

But Albalet did not know what it meant to 


54 


King Gab’s Story Bag. 


be free, and thought that the world had come to 
an end ; and besides, she was afraid at first when 
her hand was touched. Then she looked at the 
prince and her heart was filled with love, for 
she had never seen a fairy prince before, and 
she said, “ I cannot tell where I am. Oh, do 
not leave me!” 

“Never!” cried the prince; and then he 
drew her close to his heart, and said, “ I am a 
fairy prince, and I love you truly, and will take 
care of you.” And he kissed her with many 
kisses. 

Now when all this happened Albalet was 
glad that the storm had come, and that the world 
was at an end ; and she thought that she must 
somehow have come into heaven, for she could 
not help being very simple because she had 
been shut up in the tree all her life. 

Well, after a time the prince explained 
many things to her; and they took away a sprig 
of the poor ash tree to plant in the prince’s 
garden ; and he took her home to the palace, 
and when she was dressed in beautiful court 
robes the prince took her by the hand and led 
her up to his father’s throne, and said, “ Dear 


Albalet the Fairy. 


55 


father and king, all my heart have I given to 
this beautiful fairy ; now, I pray you, let us be 
wedded together.” And he told the king her 
sad history. 

And the king and the courtiers wept many 
tears, and, seeing how lovely Albalet was, they 
were glad of the choice the prince had made ; 
and the king said that the wedding should take 
place that very week. 

So a great feast was made and a very grand 
company invited, and when the wedding-day 
came all the guests said the bride was the love- 
liest fairy that ever the sun shone on. Now 
amongst the guests was the magician Old 
Hidewide, and he noticed Albalet very care- 
fully, and wondered who she could be. She 
was dressed all in white, and wore white lilies 
in her hair and on her breast ; and her cheeks 
were very pale and white, through her being 
shut up in the tree so long. The only piece of 
colour she had was a tiny sprig of ash, which 
she wore on her bosom. All this the magician 
noticed, and then heard something of Albalet’s 
history; and then he made up his mind what 
to do. 


56 King Gab's Story Bag. 

So just as the king was placing the hand of 
Albalet in the hand of his son, to marry them, 
and the prince was bending down to give the 
fairy the marriage kiss, the old magician stepped 
forward and cried aloud, “Albalet belongs to 
me!” 

At this every one looked round, and Albalet 
put her arms round the prince in fear, and the 
king turned to Old Hidewide and demanded 
what he meant. Then the magician told them 
that he had made Albalet and put her in the 
ash tree, and that he always meant to have her 
himself, and would not give her up to the 
prince. 

“ Then why did not you take her out of the 
ash tree?” asked the king. 

“ Because I was punishing her for disobe- 
dience,” said the magician. 

“ What a bad husband he would be ! ” cried 
all the bridesmaids. 

“ Then,” said Prince Talba, “ after treat- 
ing her so ill, you have no claim on her. 
She does not owe you gratitude, but only 
hatred.” 

But Hidewide laughed, and said, “ She 


Albalet the Fairy . 57 

belongs to me because I made her, and she 
owes me gratitude and herself too.” 

“No, no I” cried all the people. “Shame, 
shame!” 

But the magician cried aloud, and said, 
“ See how lovely she is, and how gentle and 
sweet ! This is all through the way I have 
treated her. If I had not shut her up in 
the tree she would have been obstinate and 
wicked.” 

But the king was wise and answered, “ You 
did not mean this, but did it in spite ; so she 
owes you no thanks. Besides, it is a chance 
that your treatment did not make her wicked 
and cross, or kill her.” 

“ However that may be,” said Old Hide- 
wide gloomily, “ she belongs to me, and I will 
have her.” 

Then said Prince Talba, “ Is not Love 
lord of all? If she loves the magician for hav- 
ing made her and for giving her such a wretched 
life in the tree, then let him take her. But if 
he has not won her love, then he cannot deserve 
to call her his.” 

And the king said, “Albalet shall choose.” 


53 King Gab's Story Bag. 

Now the lovely bride had been standing 
with her arms clasped around the prince, as if 
she were afraid of losing him. So she lifted 
up her fair face and said, “You loved me in my 
sorrow, and I am only yours.” 

Then the- magician turned round in a great 
rage, but the king said, “ See that you do not 
hide away Albalet or the prince, or do them 
any hurt; for if you do, we will none of us speak 
to you, and we will pull your houses to the 
ground, and flout you in the streets.” 

And all the people cried aloud, “ Long live 
Talba and fair Albalet I” 

So Old Hidewide went and hid himself 
away for a long time in great anger, but Albalet 
and the prince had a most happy wedding. 


Wise Sally. 


59 


WISE SALLY. 

In a certain fishing-village, where the sea 
washed almost up to the doors of the cottages, 
there lived a family, in which one of the 
daughters was so clever that the neighbours 
called her Wise Sally. She knew all sorts of 
things would happen before they came to pass, 
and some of the people said she was as wise 
as a witch. But Wise Sally always said that 
she had not sold herself to the evil one, nor 
learnt wicked arts, but that she was so wise 
because she always looked out for the signs 
of things. 

One New Year’s-day she said that she knew 
some people would die that year, because some 
dark clouds moved over the moon ; and she 
was quite right. Another time she said that 
a marriage would soon take place, because the 
cat mewed in the night ; and soon afterwards 
one of her cousins was married. Once she told 
a neighbour that something strange would 
happen to him, because he sneezed twice ; and 


6o 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


when he went home he found that his cow had 
kicked over the milking-pail. 

One day, Young Bill with the sandy hair 
came and asked Wise Sally to be his wife. “ I 
knew you would come and ask that,” she said, 
“because you pinched my marriage finger the 
last time we danced together.” 

Before they were married, Young Bill came 
and told her they would live in a new stone 
house he was building near the rocks by the 
sea-side. “ I knew that before,” said Wise 
Sally, “ because my scrubbing-brush broke 
through one of the old boards in mothers 
kitchen this morning.” 

They were married on Midsummer-day. 
The sun shone brightly, the air was laden with 
the odours of flowers, and all the birds sang. 
“ I knew it would be fine,” said Wise Sally, 
“because yesterday the tea-kettle was so long 
a-boiling.” 

They had not been married a year before 
they had a baby born to them. “ I knew we 
should,” said Wise Sally, “ because in my 
dreams I saw a bee gathering honey.” 

Now Young Bill with the sandy hair, and 


Wise Sally . 


61 


his wife Wise Sally, lived together very happily 
for a long time. He went out in his boat to 
sea, and caught much fish, and was very fond 
of his wife when he came home ; and as for 
Wise Sally, she nursed her baby, and gossiped 
with all the neighbours, and made everybody 
hear how wise she was. 

But one day Young Bill went out in his 
boat to catch herring, and came back without 
any, and told his wife. And the next day he 
went fishing again, and came home without a 
herring in his net, and- told Wise Sally again. 
Then that very night, in her dreams, she saw a 
great shoal of herring, and her husband pull- 
ing them in the net into the boat till the boat 
was full to the top ; and then she saw a heap of 
something on the sand by the sea-shore. 

In the morning she told her dream to 
Young Bill, and he asked what the heap on the 
sand looked like. “ Maybe herrings,” said he ; 
“ or maybe it was the nets ; or was it a heap of 
money ?” 

But though she was so wise, she could not 
tell, for the heap was covered over with a sail. 

Now when he went down to his boat the 


62 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


fishermen told him that the herring had come 
near to the Black Rocks in a great shoal, but 
that a storm was coming too, and that they 
would not go out to sea. 

“ But I will go, and pull in my net till the 
boat is full,” said Young Bill, “ and then I 
shall get a heap of money ; my Sally is always 
right.” 

But he never came back alive. The storm 
came, and Young Bill was drowned, and was 
thrown up with a heap of sea-weed on to the 
sea-shore. Then his wife came, and beat her 
breast, and cried over him, and told her dream ; 
and every one said how wise she was. 

Now the baby was a girl, and grew up very 
thin and weak, though Wise Sally was always 
giving her physic to make her strong. This 
child was named after her mother, and was 
called Simple Sally, to make a difference. 

On her birthday, when Simple Sally was 
fourteen years of age, she sat in the evening 
with her needle, helping her mother to earn 
some money ; and Wise Sally sat with tears in 
her eyes looking at her pale daughter. 

All of a sudden a black patch on the wick of 


JVise Sally. 


63 


the candle fell off on the table, on to the little 
finger of Simple Sally’s left hand. The mother 
started up, and screamed out loudly. 

“ What’s the matter, mother?” asked Simple 
Sally, trembling with fear. 

“ Oh dear ! what shall I do ?” cried Wise 
Sally; “ I cannot bear to lose you !” 

When she heard this, Simple Sally grew 
more frightened than beforehand prayed her 
mother to tell her what she meant. 

“ Did not you see that black cross start 
from the candle and fall on the little finger of 
your left hand ?” said the mother. “ Oh, my 
poor, dear Sally, that shows that you are to die 
this very year !” 

When Simple Sally heard this, she was so 
frightened that she fell down on to the stone 
floor, and broke a blood-vessel, and fainted 
away, and became quite ill. 

Every day her mother nursed her, and cried 
over her, and gave her a great deal of physic to 
make her better ; but before the year was gone 
Simple Sally died. 

Now Wise Sally had loved her daughtervery 
dearly, and she cried very much, and would not 


6 4 


King Gab’s Story Bag. 




be comforted. “ What is the use of being so 
wise,” she said, “ when everything goes so 
badly with me all my life?” 

The house was very lonely now to Wise 
Sally, and she used to sit quite still thinking 
of Young Bill her husband, and of Simple 
Sally her daughter ; and she used to say, “ I 
have only one comfort left, and that is to sit in 
the chimney-corner where Young Bill used to 
sit mending his net, with little Simple Sally on 
his knee ; but I know I can’t stay here, I know 
they will take me to the poor-house, because the 
cinders fall out on to the floor.” 

So Wise Sally sat still in the house, too sad 
to work, or to do anything but talk to the 
neighbours ; and she grew very poor, until she 
had no money in her pocket, and no bread in 
the cupboard. Then one day she was taken 
off to the poor-house away from her chimney- 
corner. 

“ I was quite certain this would happen,” 
said Wise Sally, “ because yesterday was 
Michaelmas-day, and besides, my left leg ached 
with rheumatics.” 


Viola,. 


6 5 


VIOLA; OR, THE CHAIN OF BLOOD 
AND TEARS. 

In the old days of long ago, before the new 
days began to be, there lived a cross old king 
named Grim-grum. He loved only one person 
in all the world, and that was himself ; and so 
it is not strange that nobody loved him. But 
his courtiers and servants had to pretend to, or 
else he had their heads chopped off. The Lord 
High Keeper of the Money-bag, the Lord of 
the Larder, my Lord the Pen -holder, the 
Generalissimo of the Nine Archers, the Master 
of the Black Horse, the Lord Chief Flunkey, 
and my Lord Chief Justice, all came to kiss 
the kings hand every morning, and to say they 
hoped he was quite well. Then Grim-grum 
would scowl and growl, and say bad words, and 
think whose head he would have chopped oft 
that day, or who should be put into prison. 

Now King Grim-grum had five sons and 
one little daughter, but he did not treat them 
kindly. Almost every week he had them 

F 


66 


King Gab’s Story Bag. 


whipped, however good they were, and almost 
every day one of them had to go without 
dinner. And when they all sat down to dinner 
in the great hall, the ministers and courtiers, 
and the rest, the king often sent bits of gristle 
and bone to his children ; but he always cut oft 
the tit-bits for himself. The king was always 
dressed very finely, but his children were not. 
Their toes peeped out of their old shoes, their 
knees and elbows came out when they moved 
fast, and the tails of the princes’ coats hung in 
patches, or were quite torn off. Then they were 
all beaten for being careless and untidy. 

So one day after dinner the princes talked 
together over their troubles. 

“ I am so hungry 1” said one ; “ the king sent 
me a plate of gristle, and I could not eat a 
morsel of it.” 

“ He served me as badly,” said another ; 
“ my plate was nothing but fat, and I can’t eat 
fat.” 

“And mine was nothing but lean,” said a 
third ; “ and he knows I can’t eat lean.” 

“ Mine was all bone,” said another. 

“ And mine was all hot with pepper,” said 


Viola. * 67 

the smallest prince, opening his mouth very wide 
to cool his red-hot tongue. 

“ Perhaps the king our father would be 
more kind to us if we asked him,” said the 
little princess, gently. 

“ Let us all come then,” said the eldest 
brother. 

So they all went, and stood before the king 
as he sat upon his throne. 

“ Sire and dear father,” said the eldest 
prince, “ we pray you be not angry with us. 
If there is anything in which we displease 
your majesty, we pray you tell us of it plainly, 
and we will alter, that you may be kind and 
good to us, and show to us your love.” 

Then the king stamped with his feet on the 
throne, and cried out in a rage, ‘‘What! Do 
my sons come to insult me to my face? I will 
teach you to complain of me ! Wicked 
children ! have I not always been a good father 
to you ? I have had no favourites ; I have 
treated you all alike. I have given you all 
clothes, and food to eat, and every one a bed to 
sleep on ; and what return have you made me ? 
Nothing but ingratitude and complaints.” 

f 2 


68 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


“ Nay, sire and father,” replied the prince, 
“ we have never complained ” 

The king began to stamp again, and inter- 
rupted him. “How dare you contradict?” he 
cried. “ Wicked children ! what fate do you 
deserve? Tell me, when have you ever shown 
me your love ?” 

Then the prince answered as softly as he 
could, “ Sire, for the clothes and food we would 
always give you such thanks as they deserve ; 
and if your majesty will only be kind to us, 
then for your love we will love you back.” 

When the king heard this, he stood up in a 
great rage, and called for my Lord of the Pen, 
the Lord Chief Justice, my Lord Chief Flunkey, 
and the rest of the ministers of state. 

“ My lords of the state,” the king cried, 
stamping his feet and grinding his teeth, “a 
horrible thing has happened ; come and hear 
the punishment. My wicked children have 
risen up against me, and they shall suffer. 
They have made a conspiracy against me, their 
own good father ; now they shall know that I 
am the king. My Lord the Generalissimo of 
the Nine Archers, take away my wicked sons to 


Viola. 


69 


the Black Castle in the middle of the Dark 
Forest, and starve them by little and little till 
they are all dead.” 

When the little Princess Viola heard this, 
she rushed forwards to the foot of the throne, 
and knelt down, and lifted up her hands, and 
said, with tears streaming down her eyes — 

“ Oh king and father, do forgive my poor 
brothers ! Indeed they only want to love you, 
and to be good. Oh, please be kind to them, 
and do not send them away!” 

Then the king stamped on his little daugh- 
ter, and cried out in a rage, “You shall go 
too, wicked child ! Alas ! even my daughter is 
disobedient* and turns against me. Go and 
starve 1” 

So poor little Viola, sobbing and crying, 
rose up from the floor, and took her eldest 
brother’s hand and kissed it, and said, “ Do 
not look sad about me, dear brothers ; I 
would rather go with you.” 

But this made the king worse, and he swore 
that she should not go as she wished to, but 
should starve at home in the palace while her 
brothers were starving in the Black Castle. 


?o 


King Gab's Story Bag . 

Then every day at the kings table the little 
princess had only bread and water, and every 
day less and less ; and every day she feared that 
her brothers must* be growing thin and ill in 
the dreadful Black Castle ; and every day she 
grieved about her poor brothers, and wished 
she could die along with them. 

Well, one day as she was grieving like this, 
sitting on the roots of an old hollow tree at the 
back of the palace, a strange being stood before 
her. It was a little old man, with hair as white 
as snow reaching nearly to his feet, and with 
eyes very, very sharp ; and he was dressed in 
strips of shaggy skin. At first the little maiden 
made a small scream, and was going to run 
away ; but the old man spoke in a kind voice, 
and told her to stay. 

“ My poor, dear child,” said he, “ your trouble 
is very heavy. What would you do to save your 
brothers ?” 

“ Oh, sir,” she answered, “ I would give 
every drop of my blood for them.” 

Then said he, “ If you are brave you shall 
save them. I dare not tell you how, but as 
much as I may tell you, I will. I am the Old 


Viola. 


7i 


Man of the Wood, and belong to the Council 
of the Gnomes. Thus much may I tell you : 
Only a chain of tears and blood can lead your 
brothers through the wood/’ 

When she heard this, Viola looked very 
puzzled, and wondered what it could mean. 

Then said the strange old man, “ But you 
must promise me one thing. I do not like the 
Black Castle being in my wood. When the 
princes are free, and your eldest brother sits on 
the throne, he must have every stone of the 
Black Castle pulled down.” 

The little princess gave the promise, her 
mind full of wonder if all this should be. 

“ Now,” said the little old man, “ you must 
seal the promise with a kiss.” 

But the princess blushed, and said, “ I do 
not kiss men, only my brothers, and sometimes 
my father the king.” 

“ And who am I,” said the old man, smiling, 
“ but your great-great-great-great-grandfather ?” 

Then the princess thought, as he was such 
a near relative, and so old, it could not be 
wrong ; so she kissed the old mans beautiful 
white hair, and then put her lips against his. 


72 


King Gab’s Story Bag. 


And then she said, “ But, my dear great-great- 
great-great-grandfather, how am I to make a 
chain of tears and blood?” 

And while she spoke he began to fade away 
before her eyes. So she reached out her hands 
to keep him, and cried, “ Dear great-great- 
great — ” but before she had finished his name 
he was gone. 

Now all day and all night she wondered 
how she could make a chain of tears and blood, 
and how it would lead her brothers from the 
wood ; but she could not find out. 

The next day she went to the hollow tree, 
hoping to see the Old Man of the Wood again, 
but he did not come. Then, while she waited, 
she heard the voice of the Captain of the Archers, 
and this is what he was saying: “This very 
night the princes are all to die.” 

Now the captain was coming close by with 
one of his men ; so the poor sad princess crept 
into the hollow tree, out of the way. Then said 
the captain, “They do not starve quickly 
enough for the king, so they are all to be killed 
in the middle of the night.” 

As soon as they had passed by, the little 



VIOLA IN THE HOLLOW TREE. 


[Page 72. 




























































































Viola . 


73 


creature stepped out, trembling with fear for her 
brothers, and she said to herself, “ I will go 
through the wood to my brothers, and die with 
them.” 

So she made her way into the wood, and 
wandered on till she saw, in the distance, the 
top of the dreadful Black Castle. And as she 
looked all around, she fancied she saw the form 
of the Old Man of the Wood, and she ran 
quickly right up to a very large old hollow 
tree, and then she called to her dear great-great- 
great-great-grandfather ; but no answer came. 

Then she remembered what he had said to 
her, and thought that she knew now how to 
make a chain of blood and tears. Before this 
she had often cut her finger, and tried to join 
on the blood-drops with her tears, but all to no 
avail. Now she tried quite a new way. 

“ If I can only lead them safely here,” she 
thought, “ then we can hide in this tree in the 
day-time, and the next night we can get quite 
out of the wood/’ 

So the fair little princess took a sharp knife 
from her girdle, and made a cut in her arm 
and then, dipping her finger in her own blood 


74 King Gab's Story Bag . 

she marked with a red spot a tree near which 
she stood, and a little farther on another, and 
another, and another, all the way on through 
the thick wood to the castle, so that she might 
know the way back. And all the way along, 
here and there, her blood dropped on to the 
ground, and all the way along her bright tears 
fell, for she was very sad when she thought of 
her father, and very anxious when she thought 
of her brothers ; and so all the way along there 
was a chain of tears and blood. 

As soon as the princess came under the dark 
walls of the Black Castle, she began to sing a 
tune her brothers knew very well — 

“ Dearest brothers, come away ! 

The moon doth shine as bright as day ; 

Come at once, make no delay ; 

Where a will is, there’s a way : 

Come away ! oh, come away ! ” 

After a little time, a hand was put out of a 
window with bars across it, and one of her 
brothers asked if it was his sister's spirit there. 
Then she cried in a clear voice, but very low, 
“ Come, come down ! Make a rope somehow, 
and come !” 


Viola. 


75 


So the brothers made a rope out of their 
coats, and the strongest one wrenched away one 
of the bars. Now the princes were so thin, 
through being starved, that they managed to 
squeeze through the bars ; and they were so 
light, through being starved, that the rope did 
not break as they came down one by one. 

Then they all kissed their dear sister; and 
one of them said, “ The wood is so thick ! how 
shall we find our way through ?” 

“ Follow me/’ said Viola ; and she guided 
them back through the forest by the marks of 
her blood on the trees, till they came to the old 
hollow tree. 

Now when the middle of the night came, 
they heard strange noises all over the wood. 
All night long the Captain of the Archers and 
his men searched through the wood for the 
princes, wishing to kill them ; but though they 
passed under the boughs of the old man’s hol- 
low tree, they could not find them. 

Now King Grim-grum sat up all night 
waiting to hear that his sons were killed, and 
stamped up and down in a great rage be- 
cause he had to wait so long. In the early 


76 King Gab's Story Bag. 

morning came the Generalissimo of the Nine 
Archers. 

“ Well, you have been long enough/' cried 
the king; “ now where are their heads ?” 

“ May it please your majesty,” began the 
minister, “ we cannot find them yet.” 

“ It will not please my majesty !” roared the 
king. “ Where should you have looked for their 
heads except on their shoulders?” 

“ I pray your royal highness be calm,” said 
the captain ; “ we will find the princes as soon 
as we can, and then we will bring their heads.” 

“ What ! Are they escaped ? Villain ! 
traitor!” roared the king, and he pulled out 
his sword, and rushed at the captain. 

But the minister did not wait, but slipped 
on one side, and the king struck at the wall, 
and then fell on his sword and killed himself. 

In a little time criers went through the Dark 
Wood, and proclaimed that the king was dead, 
and that the throne was waiting for the eldest 
prince. So the princes came out from the hol- 
low tree, and went back to the palace ; and the 
eldest prince sat on the throne ; and the Black 
Castle was all pulled down, as the princess had 


Viola. 


77 


promised. As for the little Princess Viola, her 
brothers loved her very dearly, and so did all 
the people, and she was very happy. 

Now the Old Man of the Wood was very 
proud of his sweet little great-great-great-great- 
granddaughter, and he walked carefully along 
all the way from his big hollow tree to the place 
of the Black Castle, and wherever the tears fell, 
and the drops of blood, there he gave his bless- 
ing ; and the white and purple drops turned into 
white and dark violets ; and that is why the 
first wood-violets were always of dark purple 
or of pure white, in which the dew-drops love 
to rest, in memory of the sweet Princess Viola. 


7 8 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


CARE AND THE CAT. 

There was once a certain small town where the 
people all minded each other’s business, and 
therefore had no time to take care of their own. 
In this town there lived a rich old man, and, 
next door to him, a prim old maid, but they 
were not good friends. 

The rich man lived all by himself, without 
chick or child, except a fine white cat of which 
he was very fond. This cat was his great pet. 
He used to put a fresh ribbon round her neck 
every week ; and every day she had new milk ; 
and at dinner-time he used to give her tit-bits 
from his own plate. Then, after dinner, when 
he sat in the garden in the sun, smoking his 
pipe, the white cat would come purring round 
him, and would rub her back fondly against his 
red slippers, and spring on to his knees, and go 
to sleep there. So the old gentleman and his 
cat were very happy. 

Now the prim old maid, and the gossips, 
used often to talk about the rich man, and to 


Care and the Cat . 


79 


find fault with him for living alone with his cat, 
and not taking to himself a wife, and this is 
what they used to say — 

“ He will not take a wife because of his 
white cat. ‘Where should I find a woman with 
hair as soft as my Pussy's fur?’ (This is what 
the gossips said that the rich man said.) 1 Where 
should I find a woman with such beautiful eyes ? 
with such a contented and affectionate disposi- 
tion ? Where should I find a woman who 
would be so quiet, and give me so little 
trouble ?’” 

When the prim old maid heard all this she 
felt very angry, and after dinner she went into 
her garden, and walked up to the hedge, and 
there she saw the old gentleman on the other 
side with the fine white cat asleep on his lap, 
and she began to hate the fat white cat very 
much indeed. 

Another day the gossips came to talk to 
the prim old maid about her neighbour, and 
this is what they told her the old gentleman 
had said — 

“ My Puss is not vain like a woman, nor ex- 
travagant like a wife. Puss is never cross or 


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King Gab's Story Bag. 


sulky. Puss has been a good companion to 
me, and is fond of me ; so why should I ever 
turn her off? If I were to have a wife, she 
would be jealous of poor Puss, and would ill- 
use her. A wife would soon be the death of 
my Pussy, or of me, or of both of us ; and 
therefore I will never marry.” 

When the old maid heard this, she began to 
hate the cat worse than before, and to wonder 
what she could do to alter matters. 

Well, there came into this town a happy 
family of animals, and the old maid went to pay 
them a visit. This happy family lived in a 
house that went on wheels, and travelled about 
through the country to show people how to live 
at peace together. The walls of the house were 
only of wire, so that people could look through, 
and see how well they all agreed. There were 
three dogs, one black and white, one white and 
black, and one with long grey hair. There were 
two cats in the corner opposite the dogs, that 
arched their backs, and began to spit, when the 
dogs came near. There were two crows, and 
an owl, perched on some bars. On the ground 
were some rabbits munching lettuce-leaves. 


Care and the Cat . 


81 


Not far off was a guinea-pig trying to steal 
some of their food. In one corner were some 
pretty white mice, nibbling cheese, and peeping 
round the corner of their eyes to see if the cats 
were coming. Up above was a monkey with 
black eyebrows and a white beard, and he was 
cracking nuts and dropping the shells on the 
rabbits, and looking round on all the animals 
with small, twinkling, wicked eyes. The master 
of the family, a dirty-looking man with one eye, 
held a stick in his hand, and stood by the cage 
to keep the animals in order. 

“ How beautiful it is to see them all so kind 
and good to one another ! ” said the gossips who 
came to see the family. 

The master shut up his one eye for a 
moment and smiled. 

“ How do you keep them all in order, sir, 
and so happy ?” asked the prim old maid. 

“ I gives 'em plenty of wittals, and plenty 
of stick,'’ the man answered. 

“What! beat ’em? How cruel! Well, I 
never!” cried the gossips. 

The man shut his one eye again. The 
monkey reached down one of his long arms, 

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King Gab's Story Bag. 


and began to pull a tabby cat up by the tail. 
Pussy squealed. The man put his stick 
through the bars, and hit the monkey on the 
fingers. 

“ Why don’t you ask him not to do those 
tricks, and coax him instead of beating him ?” 
asked the gossips. 

“ If you spare the rod, you spoil the child,” 
said the parson who was standing by. 

The gossips made a curtsey, but whispered 
to one another that the parson must have a 
very hard heart. 

Nodding forwards to listen, the head of the 
prim old maid went near the bars. Now she 
had black hair, of which she was so proud that 
she always wore it in long curls. One of these 
curls bobbed through the bars ; the monkey 
caught it, and gave a tug. Off came the beau- 
tiful black hair, for it was a wig ; off came the 
lady’s fine bonnet, and there she stood scream- 
ing aloud, with her round head covered with 
short hair of the colour of wet hay. 

At this moment the rich old gentleman went 
by, and he smiled. 

“ He is thinking that the monkey could 


Care and the Cat. 83 

not pull his Pussy’s hair off,” said one of the 
gossips 

“ We shall see,” thought the old maid. 

“ Give the wicked monkey a good beating,” 
cried the gossips who had called the man cruel. 

“ Give me back my hair!” screamed the old 
maid. 

The man was very polite, and beat the 
monkey, and got back the hair, and helped to 
fix it on. 

While this was being done the master could 
not attend to his happy family. 

The mice stole some lettuce from the rabbits ; 
the cats crept forward to catch the mice ; the 
dogs began to growl at the cats ; the owl flapped 
its wings in the dog’s face ; the crows began to 
caw, and tipped over the water on the guinea- 
pigs. And all the happy family growled, and 
barked, and squealed, and screamed. The 
monkey enjoyed it most of all, and swung on 
one of the bars with his tail, pulling the tabby 
cat backward and forward by her tail, with her 
nose rubbing in the wet. 

The master took his stick, and soon made 
them all happy and quiet again. 


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King Gab's Story Bag . 


“ That monkey does not seem to like the 
cat,” said the old maid, scratching her wig to 
help her to think. 

“ Not partic’ler,” answered the man, shutting 
his one eye. 

“ He gives you more trouble than all the 
rest,” said the old maid. 

“ Yes,” said the man ; “ he’s very sly, and 
watches till my blind eye is on him, and then 
he’s up to mischief.” 

“ How much money would you give me if 
I took him away, and saved you any more 
trouble ?” asked the lady. “ It would cost me 
a deal to feed him ; his mouth is so big.” 

“No, I can’t part with him ; for I promised 
his mother when she was dying that I would 
bring him up,” the man answered, and shut his 
one eye.” 

“ I would bring him up very carefully,” 
said the old maid. “ I would teach him his 
alphabet, and give him a cocked hat and a 
little pocket-handkerchief.” 

“ But Mister Care — that is the monkey’s 
name — is worth a deal of money to me,” said 
the man. 


Care and the Cat . 85 

“ Well, I will give you five shillings,” said 
the lady. 

“ I will sell him for fifty,” answered the man. 

So she said at last she would give as much 
if the monkey were brought to her house the 
next day. Then she went home, and had a 
little house made for the monkey, and a long 
chain. 

The next day Mister Care came to his new 
home. The first thing the old maid did was to 
give him a good beating for pulling off her wig. 
Afterwards she gave him a good dinner. He 
enjoyed this very much, for the beating gave 
him a good appetite. The old maid did the 
same every day, for she remembered what the 
man had said — “ Plenty of victuals, and plenty 
of stick.” So the monkey soon came to know 
the old maid very well, and was afraid to play 
any tricks on her. 

Then every day after dinner she used to hold 
the monkey by a chain at her side, and used to 
talk to the gossips about him. She always 
spoke loudly enough for the rich man to hear 
in the next garden, and this is what she used 
to say — 


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King Gab's Story Bag . 


“ Where could I find such a wise and 
handsome-looking man as this monkey ? See 
what black eyebrows he has, and what a fine 
white beard ! Where is there a husband with 
such bright eyes, and such a happy disposition ? 
He does not smoke, and drink, and speak bad 
words as men do. Is it not better to have a 
monkey than a husband ?” 

Now the old maid hoped that her neighbour 
would grow jealous of the monkey, but he took 
no notice, and went on petting the cat. 

Then the old maid was more angry than ever, 
and thought she would try some new plan. So 
one day she took Mister Care, the monkey, to 
the hedge, and pointed to the fat white cat, and 
said, “ Hiss, cat ! Care, teaze her ! Hiss ! hiss !” 
and then she undid Care’s chain. 

Now as soon as Care found himself free, he 
ran up a tree and climbed along a branch, and 
had a good swing by his tail. His mistress 
came, and asked him to come down. Mister Care 
grinned at her — climbed away — ran on all-fours 
to the kitchen — frightened the cook — threw the 
plates and basins at her — tipped over the kettle 
of hot water— scalded the cook — scalded himself, 


Care and the Cat . 


87 

and went away crying. The cook ran after him 
with the frying-pan, and his mistress with her 
stick. They came to the hedge, and over went 
the monkey. Up jumped the old gentleman, 
and down fell poor Puss. “ Jab, jab, jab !” cried 
the monkey ; “ here’s a bit of fun !” and off he 
ran after the cat. 

Puss arched her back, and spit at him, and 
scratched him ; but he teazed her a great deal 
more, and hunted her till he was tired. When 
he got hungry, and wanted his supper, he came 
back. The old maid put his chain on, and 
showed him the broken plates, and beat him. 
Then she pointed over the hedge, and said, 
“ Hiss, cat !” and gave him his supper. 

As for the old gentleman, the next day he 
seemed more fond of his cat than ever, and gave 
her a fine blue ribbon. Then he sent in a 
message to ask the lady to keep her monkey 
tied up. 

Well, the next day happened to be Sunday, 
and the parson preached a sermon about doing 
our duty to our neighbour. This made the rich 
man and the old maid very angry. 

‘'Why did the parson preach about me?” 


88 King Gab's Story Bag. 

said the rich man to his cat when he came 
home. 

“ Why did he preach all about me ?” said 
the old maid to her monkey. “ I am not a 
bad neighbour ; but we will serve his cat out.” 

After this, whenever Mister Care saw the 
cat he used to run after her, and teaze her, and 
pull her about, till she grew quite thin and 
wretched. Care’s chain used to be left undone 
on purpose, though every day the old gentleman 
sent in messages, and said he would send for 
the police. At last, one bright summer day, 
the monkey chased the poor cat all over the 
gentleman’s garden, and all over the tiles of his 
house, and came home grinning ; and poor Puss 
was never seen any more. Mister Care had a 
very good supper given him that night. 

The old gentleman was very sad, and 
searched everywhere for his dear cat — on the 
tiles, and down the chimneys, and up the water- 
spout, and in the coal-hole and dust-bin ; but, 
alas ! no Puss could be found. 

But the old gentleman would not give up 
hope. He sent the criers up and down the 
country, and they cried “ Oyez ! oyez I oyez ! 


Care and the Cat . 


89 


Whereas a white cat with a pink nose, named 
Sookie Purr, dressed with a blue neck-ribbon, 
has been stolen from her home, or run away 
with: whoever shall bring her back shall have 
a large reward/’ But no one did bring her 
back. 

At last, one sad dark day, the old gentle- 
man’s maid saw a piece of blue ribbon floating 
in the water-butt. She screamed aloud, and 
every one went to see. They pulled out the blue 
ribbon, and there was poor Puss drowned and 
murdered. The old gentleman began to cry, 
and said that the wicked monkey should suffer 
for it. 

So he went to the police-station, and told 
what had happened, and Mister Care was taken 
up for the murder of Sookie Purr, and was put 
into prison. 

The whole town did nothing but talk about 
this murder, and wonder if the monkey would 
be hanged for it, or get off on the plea of being 
of unsound mind. The old gentlefnan kept on 
grieving for his cat, and went into deep mourn- 
ing, and gave his lawyers a great deal of money 
to do their best against Mister Care. 


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King Gab's Story Bag . 


The day of the trial came, and as many 
gossips crowded into the court as the place 
would hold. Mister Care was charged with the 
wilful murder of Soolcie Purr, and the lawyer 
who was paid by the old maid answered for 
him, Not Guilty. 

The first question put to the prisoner was 
whether he had a Christian name. Mis lawyer 
answered that he had not, because he came from 
foreign parts, and was of another religion. At 
this the gentlemen of the jury shook their 
heads very much. 

Then many witnesses were called to show 
that the monkey had teazed, and frightened, and 
chased the poor cat a great many times ; and 
other witnesses proved that on the very day 
when she was lost, Mister Care had chased her 
along the tiles to the very place where the 
water-butt stood. Then the doctor who had 
examined the drowned cat showed a tuft of 
monkey-hair which he had found in the cat’s 
mouth, and which just fitted to a place in the 
monkey’s white beard where some hair had been 
pulled out. The judge, and the jury, and every 
one looked at the prisoner, and saw the gap in 


Care and the Cat . 


91 

his beard, and shook their heads. Mister Care 
began to jabber, but was stopped by the judge, 
who told him that he must only speak when 
spoken to. With this, the prisoner rattled his 
chain, and made a grin, and then began to 
whine. 

The defence set up was that the deed had 
been done in an unsound state of mind, and 
many witnesses were brought to show that the 
monkey did not possess so much reason as 
men. 

Everybody said that the summing-up of the 
judge was very learned and just. As for the 
mind of the monkey, the judge reminded the 
jury of the many clever things the monkey had 
done, and showed that Mister Care must have 
had memory, judgment, will, humour, and spite, 
and many more of the qualities of men. Being 
of a lower order in creation, the judge said, 
it was not quite certain whether he had any 
conscience, but the law could not let all pri- 
soners off who seemed to have no conscience. 
Then, he went on to say, it had to be considered 
whether the deed was murder or manslaughter. 
“ Now,” said he, “ it cannot be manslaughter, 


92 King Gab's Story Bag. 

because it is a cat that is killed ; so it must be 
murder” 

The jury retired for two hours, and brought 
in the verdict, “ Care killed the cat.” 

The judge put on the black cap, and pro- 
nounced the sentence of death. 

Mister Care had a fortnight given him for 
repentance, and was then hanged. 

The gossips talked till the parson hoped 
they would get tired, but they never got tired. 

The rich old man remained very sad, and 
walked up and down his garden thinking of 
his cat. 

As for the old maid, she was very pleased at 
first, but afterwards she had dreadful dreams of 
drowning and hanging, and grew very sorry 
too. 

The parson preached another sermon on the 
text, “ Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy- 
self.” The rich old man came home thinking 
it was a very good sermon. The old maid came 
home thinking how much better it would be to 
love her neighbour than to hate him. She only 
wished that her neighbour would love her too. 

So, one fine morning, she went to the hedge, 


Care and the Cat . 


93 


and looked over, and said, “ I am so sorry 
your poor Puss is dead ! You have no one 
to sit with you now after dinner. You must 
be very lonely. Would not you like me to 
come in and keep you company ?” 

After this the two neighbours became good 
friends, and the parson married them, and they 
lived together very happily. 



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King Gab's Story Bag. 


PIP AND HIS LAST PIPPIN. 

In a pretty village, where the cottages had little 
gardens in front, and where the church spire 
was painted white and looked very bright in the 
sun against the blue sky, there lived a boy who 
was always called Little Pip. Every one liked 
this boy, and said “ Good morning ” to him, 
and gave him nuts and gingerbread, because he 
was very merry, and had a very kind heart. He 
liked to play with Gamp, the dog that was 
nearly blind, and with Pam, the goat with 
grizzly beard, that was fixed with a rope on the 
village green, but he never teazed them. He 
would not join with the other boys in tying a 
kettle to Bishop’s tail, the fat dog that lived in 
the great house with palings. Once he fought 
with Tommy Fister, who kept on pelting the 
birds’ nests in the church ivy with stones, till 
the soft little swallows without feathers fell 
down on the hard ground, and opened their 
yellow mouths to cry, and died. After this, 
Tommy Fister gave him one of his rabbits, and 


Pip and his Last Pippin . 


95 


Pip was very fond of it, and made it a pretty 
home. And when the dog Gamp had a litter of 
pups, one was given to Pip, and it had white 
feet like socks, and a white nose, though its 
' body was brown; and he called its name Tip, 
and Pip used to give his little dog part of his 
own bread-and-milk for breakfast. 

Now the reason why he was called Pip was 
this : — At the side of his mother's cottage there 
was a little garden that he had all for his own, 
and here he kept his rabbit in its hutch, and his 
dog Tip in its kennel. In the middle of the 
garden grew an apple tree, a Ribstone pippin, 
and every year as the apples grew ruddy and 
ripe, he used to give them away to the boys and 
girls who played with him on the green, instead 
of eating them all himself. So, in the spring, 
they used to say to him, “ Well, Pip, has your 
pippin-tree got many blossoms ?” And in the 
summer they said, “ Well, Pip, how do your 
pippins grow ?” And in the autumn, “ Here 
comes Pip with his pippins ! Oh, Pip, please 
give me one !” So every day he brought his 
pippins as they grew ruddy and ripe, and gave 
them away until there was only one left. 


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King Gab's Story Bag. 

Well, one evening when the shining of the 
sun made the clouds look gold and red, and 
made Pip’s last pippin look ruddy and gold too, 
he made up his mind to gather it, and came up 
to the tree in his garden. Just at that moment 
there stood by the garden-gate a strange old 
woman, with an old broken bonnet as large as a 
coal-scuttle, a tattered shawl not bigger than a 
dish-clout, and a ragged dress that was nearly 
all holes. 

“ Good evening, Pip,” says the old woman ; 
“ I have not had a morsel to eat all day, nor any 
bed to sleep on last night. Give me a penny to 
help me along.” 

“ I am sorry for you, dame,” answered Pip, 
“ and I will do what I can.” With that he put 
his hand into his pocket, and pulled out a silver 
sixpence, and a new penny almost as bright as 
gold. “ I was going to buy my dog Tip a red 
collar with this sixpence,” said he, “ and some 
bull’s-eyes for myself with the penny; but you 
want it most, old dame, so here it is.” 

The old woman took the money, and then 
looked up at the last Ribstone pippin shining 
among the green leaves, and said, “ What 







. 












































































































• \ 
































































PIP AND HIS LAST PIPPIN 


{Page 97, 









Pip and his Last Pippin. 97 

a lovely pippin ! Pip, will you give it to 
me ?” 

44 It is the last pippin I have,” he answered, 
looking at it till his mouth watered. 

44 Then you must have had the others be- 
fore,” said the old woman, 44 and I have not had 
one.” 

41 No more you have,” said Pip, 44 so come in 
at the gate, and I will pull the bough down, and 
you shall take the apple.” 

As soon as this was done, the old woman 
cut open the golden pippin with her long finger- 
nails, and what should there be inside but three 
large pips, and nothing else ! 

“Why, how is this?” cries Pip. 44 All the 
others were good to eat.” 

44 But this is good for something better,” 
answered the strange old woman. 44 You must 
know, Pip, that I am a witch — but not wicked 
and spiteful as silly men believe — and I have 
come to grant you a great favour, because you 
have a good kind heart. Now, what do you 
think you would like best in all the world ?” 

Then Pip began to think, and at last he 
said, 44 Do you know my dog Tip has got a 

H 


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King Gab's Story Bag. 


mother, and her name is Gamp, and Tommy 
Fister hit her a knock with a big stone, and 
hurt her leg ; and now she has to go on three 
legs. If you are a witch, I should like you to 
make poor Gamp well.” 

Then the witch laughed, and said, “ Next 
time you see Gamp, I promise that you shall 
find her well. But, besides this, I will take 
you, Pip, if you like, to make three journeys 
with me into the wide world, to do three 
things of great kindness.” 

At this Pip clapped his hands for joy, for of 
all things he hoped some day to go into the 
wide world ; but then he remembered that his 
mother always said that she should cry if he 
went away from her, and Pip told the old witch 
this, and said he could not go. 

“ But,” said the witch, “ we will go at night 
time, and you shall be back before morning.” 

When this was settled, the witch asked him 
to look at the three pips inside the last ruddy 
pippin, and he saw that one was rosy-red, and 
one jet-black, and one a beautiful blue. 

“ Take them in your hand,” said the witch, 
“ and read what is written on them.” 


Pip and his Last Pippin. 99 

So Pip took the three pips carefully in his 
hand. 

On the rosy one he read — 

“ make a beginning of jog tjjat teas ruber erperteb.” 

On the black pip he read — 

" & 0 make an enb of aorrofxr ijjat toalb not be earth.” 

And on the blue pip — 

“ & 0 make ttje hwtgs of a fa'rg grotu fojjo Ijab foanbereb afaag 
from Jairg-lanb.” 

“ But what does all this mean ?” asked Pip. 

“ These are the three kind things you will 
do when we take our three journeys,” answered 
the witch. “We will take the red pip with us 
when we make our journey to-night. Mind you 
are quite ready. When your mother has tucked 
you up in your bed, you must shut your eyes as 
if you were asleep, till you hear me rap at your 
window-pane. Then you must get out of your 
bed at once, and open the window, and come 
away.” 

“ All this will I do,” answered Pip, and then 
he made haste indoors because his mother was 
calling him. 

Now, though Pip used to give his pippins 

H 3 


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King Gab's Story Bag . 


away, he was really very fond of apples, and his 
mother knew that, and so this night she had 
roasted a fine, big, rosy apple for Pips supper. 
When he went indoors, into the kitchen, there 
was the apple on a plate in front of the fire, 
spitting and spluttering all over as if it was 
crying out to be eaten while it was hot. But 
Pip was thinking of the three wonderful pips, 
and took no notice of the spluttering. 

“ Pop ! wop! slop!” went the big juicy 
apple before the fire. “ Take me up and eat 
me ! I have had enough of this roasting!” But 
Pip took no notice. 

Then the mother cut off a thick slice of 
bread for her son, and took up the crackling, 
spluttering apple from before the fire, and set it 
in front of Pip at the kitchen table, and said, 
“ Pip, is not this the best apple in all the 
world ?” 

But Pip was thinking of his last pippin, and 
he knew it was wrong to tell stories, so he said, 
“What a kind mother I have to get me such a 
beautiful supper !” 

Then his mother kissed him, and sat down 
to see him enjoy his supper. But though he 


Pip and his Last Pippin . ioi 

had been at play with Tip, and though the 
apple was very good, Pip had no appetite to eat, 
because he was thinking of the three wonderful 
pips, and of the journeys he was to make with 
the witch. So the mother said, “Why, Pip, 
you are not eating! I am afraid you are not 
well. Has anything happened to you ?” 

Now Pip would not tell a story, so he did 
not know what to say. 

“ Oh, dear I” cried the mother, “ you are not 
well !” 

“Yes, I am, dear mother,” answered Pip, 
“ but I know I should like this apple better if 
you would eat some too.” 

This was quite true ; so the mother took 
some, and Pip went on eating as fast as he 
could, because he wanted the night to come. 
But he had no appetite for the bread, and 
slipped the crust into his pocket, though he was 
afraid that this w r as acting a story. At last the 
supper was done. 

Then Pip said his prayers to his mother, as 
he did every night, and made haste to bed, and 
shut his eyes as the witch had said. It seemed 
a long time till his mother came to tuck him 


102 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


up, and Pip began to think she never would. 
But at last she came, and knelt down by his 
bed, and said, “ O Lord, bless my dear boy, and 
keep him from all harm, because he is all my 
comfort.” And then she tucked him up, and 
gave him a kiss, and went slowly away. 

All this time Pip wanted to open his eyes, 
and speak to his mother, and say how much he 
loved her, but he remembered what the witch 
had said, and lay still, because he wanted to 
make the wonderful journey. But as soon as 
his mother was gone, he folded his hands, and 
said, “ O Lord, take care of me this night, and 
make me grow up good, for my dear mother’s 
sake.” 

Then he rested quite still until he heard 
three taps at the window-pane. At this he got 
up quickly, and opened the window, and found 
the witch there seated in a wash-tub. There 
was just room at one side for Pip, and he 
stepped in. The witch fixed up a large towel, 
like a sail, between two sticks, to catch the 
wind, and off they went sailing along very fast 
through the air. 


Grif and the Red Pip . 


103 


GRIF AND THE RED PIP. 

What a wonderful sail it was that Pip and the 
witch made through the air in the tub ! They 
went so fast that at first Pip nearly lost his 
breath, and held on to the side of the tub for 
fear of falling out. The village church, with 
its white spire shining against the dark blue 
sky, was' soon out of sight; and then they passed 
over many woods, and rivers, and towns, and 
countries. It was very strange to look over the 
side of the tub and see the houses and churches 
down below ; they looked so pretty with lights 
shining through the windows, and with the 
white moonbeams shining upon them ; and 
they seemed as small as the dolls’-houses that 
belonged to the little girl where the dog Bishop 
lived. Pip was so pleased with all that he saw 
that he left off being afraid, and let go of the 
edge of the tub and clapped his hands for joy. 
“ What a good old granny you are to give me 
such a fine ride 1” he said to the witch. 

Then, as he looked over the side of the tub, 


104 King Gab's Story Bag. 

he could see no more lights, and no more woods 
nor rivers, but all was quite dark. So Pip 
began to be afraid again, and said, “ We have 
got quite out of the world, I think. Oh, dear ! 
where are we going?” 

“ Pip,” said the witch, “never fear, wherever 
you are. We are not out of the world at all, 
but if we were, what would it matter, if we 
were in another world? I can tell you it is 
very good to journey into other worlds.” 

“ But we have passed all the lights,” said 
Pip, “ and there are no more woods and houses 
under us.” 

“That is because we are passing over the 
great sea,” answered the witch. “We shall 
soon come to another country on the other side; 
and, let me tell you, you can never journey to 
Nowhere; there is always Somewhere on the 
other side.” 

“Very well,” said Pip; “I don’t mind where 
I go, if I can only get back to my mother again, 
and not be too late for my bread and milk in 
the morning.” 

Then Pip looked over the edge of the tub 
again, and saw some lights shining across the 


Grif and the Red Pip. 


105 


great dark sea; and they soon came to some 
more countries, and rivers, and woods, and 
houses. At last they came to a country where 
the houses had red roofs, and in the middle of 
this country there was a town with many big 
and many little houses in it, and all the streets 
were lit up for a f£te. Fireworks were being 
let off before the king’s palace; fiery rockets 
were shot far up into the air and turned into 
balls of red and blue and green ; and the king’s 
soldiers, standing on the roof of the palace, 
threw up the most beautiful squibs. 

At this Pip clapped his hands for joy, and 
said that he had never seen anything so fine in 
all his life. 

“ Why, have you never seen the sun and 
the moon and the stars ?” asked the witch. 

“ But they are not fireworks,” said Pip. 

“ They are nothing else,” answered the witch. 

“ Then I only wish they might be let off!” 
said Pip. 

“ They are let off already,” answered the 
witch, “only the time has not yet come for them 
to burst.” 

While the witch was saying this, she took 


106 King Gab's Story Bag. 

down the two sticks with the towel, and let the 
tub stop on the terrace of the king’s palace. 
The witch helped Pip to step out of the tub, for 
at first he felt his legs very stiff, through being 
seated so long. Then the two walked along 
the terrace till they came to an open window, 
and inside the two went, into a large dingy 
room, without asking anybody to let them. 

A strange room it was, thought Pip. On 
the walls .were hanging large maps, and heaps 
of letters strung on wire, and many books in 
dusty rows on shelves; and over the chimney- 
piece was an old sword and a breastplate. In 
the middle of the room stood a long table 
splashed over with ink, with many letters and 
books and a great map spread upon it. In 
front of the table sat a man with grizzly eye- 
brows and grizzly hair and grizzly beard, with 
a wild sad look in his eyes, and his head resting 
on his hands. 

“ Good evening, General Grif/’ said the 
witch, coming in. 

The man got up and made a low bow. 
General Grif was dressed in a tight red coat 
with gold buttons. “He is as fine as the beadle 


io7 


Grif and the Red Pip . 

of our church/’ thought Pip, “and yet how 
polite he is!” 

“ Good evening, dame,” answered General 
Grif ; “I do not think I have the pleasure of 
knowing you.” 

“ I am one of the old-maid-witch-aunts of 
Gab-land,” answered she. “Why are you not at 
the ball to-night at the king’s palace, general ?” 

“ I am too old,” said he, stroking his grizzly 
moustache, “ and too sad.” 

“ But the king’s son is of age to-day,” said 
the witch. “You ought to be there to show 
how glad you are.” 

“ But I am not glad,” answered the general. 
“ The prince does not care for me as the old 
king does. To-morrow I shall go away from 
the palace, and live in a little cottage till I die.” 

“But the foreign princes are here to woo 
the princess, as you wrote to ask them to do,” 
said the witch. “ You ought to be in the 
ball-room, to tell them not to take “ No” for 
an answer when they ask the princess to be 
married.” 

“ What do I care for the princes, and what 
do I care for the princess ? ” cried the general. 


io8 King Gab's Story Bag. 

“ She is stupid and proud, and will not have 
any of the princes I write to. All my trouble 
comes to nothing. To-morrow I shall go away, 
and- the sooner I die the better.” 

“You have had a hard life, General Grif,” 
said the witch. 

“All my life has been cold and bare, like 
the winter,” said the general; “without any 
sunshine, without any flowers, without any 
happiness.” 

“Tell us your history,” said the witch, “and 
perhaps we may help to make you happy.” 

“ Nothing in the world can do that,” an- 
swered the general. 

“ But do, please, tell us your story,” said 
Pip, putting his little hand softly on the great 
brown hand of the general. 

“ We have made our long journey on 
purpose to hear it,” said the witch. “Tell it 
to the boy, please, and we will see what will 
come.” 

“You speak very kindly,” said the general, 
“ so I will tell you my story ; but, for all that, 
I know it is of no use.” With this, General 
Grif put a seat for the witch, and picked up 


Grif and the Red Pip. 109 

little Pip and sat him on his knee, and told his 
story in these words : — 

“ All my life has been sorrowful, even from 
the very beginning. My father was very poor, 
and used to sell the tables and chairs, and 
plates, and bed-things to get money for drink ; 
so we had to take our dinner in our hands and 
sit on the floor to eat it, and to sleep on a little 
straw at night. But sometimes we had no din- 
ner to eat at all, for father used to come first 
and eat it all up, and go away to get drunk. 

“ Mother used to be very angry at this, and 
would scold and swear, and hit father with the 
broomstick. I had a little sister who used to 
play with me when father and mother were 
both out, and who used to cry very much when 
father and mother were fighting. One day, by 
mistake, my mother hit my poor little sister 
with the broomstick, instead of my father, and 
broke her back. After this, the boys and girls 
in our alley used to make fun of her, and call 
her “ Humpy Frumpy;” and I used to fight at 
them for this, however big they were, and I hit 
so hard and looked so wild that they called me 
“ Little Griffin,” and sometimes “ Grif,” and 


X IO 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


that is my name to this day. When the boys 
fought with me my poor little sister used to sit 
down and cry. At last she grew very ill, and I 
nursed her on my heap of straw, till one day 
she bade me good-bye, and kissed me, and died. 
And she was the only one who ever cared for 
me all my life. 

“ After my sister was buried, I took a penny 
off the shelf and bought a plant of violets and 
set it on her grave, because I wanted to make 
it pretty. But my mother saw me take the 
penny, and, to save me from turning thief, gave 
me a good beating with the broomstick ; and 
then my father came in and asked what it was 
all about, and said it served me right, and took 
away my little coat to get twopence to buy 
drink, and turned me out of doors. So I had 
to go away into the wide world with nothing 
on but a pair of trousers with one leg nearly 
off ; and it rained very hard, and I had to 
wander about all night, very sore with my 
beating and very hungry. 

“ The next morning I begged in the streets 
till I got twopence. Then with one penny I 
bought a loaf and with the other an old broom, 


Grif and the Red Pip . 


iii 


and I began to sweep a crossing. So I went 
on for a month, till one day some big boys 
dressed in cloth and silk stopped to make fun 
of the holes in my trousers, and one of them 
caught hold of the torn leg and pulled it right 
off. Then they all roared with laughter, but 
not for long. I doubled my fist and hit the big 
boy on his eyes with all my might, and knocked 
him down. Then one of the other boys fought 
a long time with me and knocked me down. 
Then I was carried off to the judge, and the 
judge sent me to prison, but nothing was done 
to the big boys dressed in cloth and silk. 

“ I stayed in prison one year, and one of the 
prisoners taught me to read and write, but I had 
to give him half my breakfast every morning for 
this. When I came out, I began to earn my 
bread by chopping wood all day long for a man 
in a shed. As soon as I had saved up sixpence, 
I went to my father and mother, and gave them 
back the penny I had taken, and I gave them 
twopence besides, because they asked me. Then 
with my other three pennies I bought some 
flowers to plant oh my little sister’s grave, but 
when I came to the church-yard I found the 


I 12 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


grave gone, and a marble tombstone put up for 
somebody else. So I took the plants to another 
part, and set them on some grave-heaps that 
were as small as my sister’s, and that had no 
flowers growing on them. As I came back 
through our alley I found my father and 
mother fighting together, my mother as drunk 
as my father. Soon after this they were both 
found dead, with the broken broomstick between 
them, but how they died nobody knows. 

“ As for me, I had to go to work again at 
the wood-chopping, though my master treated 
me very badly, and never gave me enough to 
eat. Then, one day, a lot of soldiers came by, 
and they seized us both, and made my master 
a soldier, and me a drummer-boy. But I 
wanted to be a soldier too, and as soon as I 
was tall enough they made me one. ‘ Now,’ 
said I, ‘ I don’t care who I kill, for no one in 
the world has ever been kind to me.’ 

“ So when we were sent to the wars, I was 
more brave than any of the rest, and my eyes, 
they said, used to glitter like a griffin’s ; and I 
used to rush forward with my sword drawn, and 
£lid not care how many wounds I got so long as 


Grip and the Red Pip. 1 13 

I could kill some one. As for my master, he 
turned round to run away, and was killed with 
a spear through his back in the very first battle. 
But the general took notice of me, and raised 
me till I was a captain. 

“When the war was over, and the army 
came back, a conspiracy was made by the judge 
and many of the nobles to kill the king. It 
was a f£te-day — the king was coming down the 
steps of the palace — I was standing with my 
drawn sword, and with twenty of my men, 
by the side of the steps. All of a sudden the 
judge cried out, ‘ Down with the king ! Kill the 
king!’ Fifty of the young nobles drew their 
swords, and rushed towards the steps, crying, 

‘ Down with the king !’ A lot of their servants 
with swords and daggers rushed along to help 
them, crying, ‘Down with the king! Kill the 
king!’ The king fell down on his knees and 
began to cry, ‘Oh, please don’t! please don’t !’ 
Amongst the young nobles I saw the very one 
who had pulled off the leg of my trousers when 
I was a crossing-sweeper; so I ground my 
teeth, and cried to the soldiers, ‘ Follow me, 
and save the king 1’ 


1 


ii4 


King Gab’s Story Bag. 


“Then with my drawn sword I beat back 
three of the nobles, for I knew how to fight 
better than they did, and a soldier plunged his 
sword up to the hilt right through the heart of 
the noble who had pulled off my trousers’-leg. 
‘It is the fiend!’ he cried as he fell dead, but 
whether he meant me, or some one else he saw, I 
had not time to think, and he had not time to say. 

“‘Stand round the king!’ cried I to my 
soldiers, and we fought all the way back into 
the palace. Then we put the king and the 
queen, and the prince and princess, into a 
carriage, and took all the horses out of the 
royal stables, and galloped away [-through the 
mob safe into the country. The king had to 
live in a farm for a year, instead of in his 
palace, while I was finding enough soldiers to 
make an army, and then a battle took place 
outside the city walls. 

“ During this time the judge had pretended 
to be king, and he came outside the city, and 
sat on a throne in the midst of his army to see 
us beaten, for he had many more soldiers than 
we had. It was a dreadful battle, and many 
men were slain, and we were driven back. 


Grif and the Red Pip . 1 15 

“ Then said the king and the queen to me, 
‘ Oh, please carry us back to the farm-house !’ 

“ But I answered, ‘ Shut your eyes and you 
shall see what you shall see/ 

“Then I cried in my army, ‘Where are 
twenty brave men who will draw their swords 
and do as I do?’ Fifty men who had been 
thieves and murderers drew their swords and 
followed me. On we went with our drawn 
swords, slashing down to the right and to the 
left, right up to the throne of the false king. 

“‘ Here comes that horrible Griffin!’ cried 
the nobles. 

“The judge rushed* down the steps, and 
tried to get away. I cut down two of the 
nobles, and stood before the judge. 

“ ‘ Do you remember the crossing-sweeper?’ 
I cried. 

‘‘Have mercy upon me!’ he began to 
pray. 

“ ‘ Would you have mercy on me if I were 
in your place ?’ cried I, and with these words I 
struck his head clean off. When they saw this 
the nobles and the soldiers began to fly, and 
the victory was ours. 

x 2 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


116 


“ Then we took the town, and the old king 
was king again. I was made General Grif, and 
chief minister, and had a great deal to do to get 
all things right again in the kingdom. I have 
had to write all the letters, for the king does not 
know how to write ; and I have to talk to all the 
ambassadors, because the king knows that he is 
not clever enough. But I am tired of all this, 
and shall not stop any longer. All day long, 
and half the night, I have to work, but yet the 
king is always grumbling. I get as much money 
as is just from the people, but the queen is 
always grumbling because it is not more. The 
prince, who is of age to-day, is always grum- 
bling because I will not let him be king instead 
of- his father. As for the princess, she grumbles 
at me more than all for not finding her a 
husband, and finds fault with all the princes 
I have sent for to woo her. Here I live all 
day long in my dingy room writing letters, and 
counting money for the king to use, and think- 
ing every day that the prince, or the princess, 
or the queen will have me killed. So it is time 
I went away, and was dead.” 

When General Grif had told his story, he 


Grif and the Red Pip. 117 

sighed very deeply, and leaned his head on one 
of his hands. Little Pip had sat very still on 
his knee all the time, but he could not help 
crying when he heard of the death of the little 
sister, and now Pip cried again when he peeped 
into the general’s face, and saw how very sad it 
looked. 

“ Better times will come to you, General 
Grif,” said the witch. 

“ Impossible !” he answered. “All my life 
has been like winter, with no sunshine and no 
happiness. And now if I stay here the prince 
or the princess will have me killed, so to-morrow 
I will go away and die.” 

“ One thing only I will ask you to do,” said 
the witch, “ and then you will see whether I am 
wise or no. Little Pip has brought the red pip 
out of his last pippin, and you must promise to 
eat one-half of it, and let the princess eat the 
other.” 

“ I do not care what happens to her, nor 
to me,” said the general; “so I will do as you 
say.” 

Then Pip put his hand into his pocket, and 
brought out the pip on which was written — 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


1 18 


" &a make a beginning of jog fa as neber e^geeteb/' 

and gave it to the general. 

At this moment the door was opened, and in 
bounced the princess. She had red cheeks, 
and red lips, and red hair, and red roses 
at her breast, and red bows and a red 
sash to her dress, and looked so grand and 
fine that little Pip could scarcely breathe for 
wonder. 

“You stupid old Grif!” cried she, “why 
won’t you find me a proper husband ?” 

“ May it please your royal highness,” he 
answered, “ I have found many princes quite 
good enough for you.” 

“ Plow dare you say that?” cried she, hitting 
him on the knuckles with her fan. “ See how 
handsome I am, and how gawky these fellows 
are ! ” 

With that she opened the door wide, and 
made the general look along the passage into 
the ball-room. 

“See what a stumpy nose that one has!” 
she cried. “ And see how foolish that little one 
looks I — and he talks more foolish still I And 


Grif and the Red Pip. 1 19 

see what red hair that tall one has 1 What a 
temper he has, I know!” 

“ That is what made me think you would 
agree so well,” said the general. 

“ You rude old thing, you 1 ” cried the prin- 
cess, and she shook her fist in his face. 

“ You will not say that to me to-morrow,” 
answered the general, turning away sadly. 
Then he saw the red pip on the table. 
“ Would you like something nice to eat ?” he 
asked the princess. 

“Just wouldn’t II” cried she, making a 
snatch at the pip. 

“ No, you must not eat it all,” he said, and 
then he bit off half of it, and gave her the rest. 

Now inside the pip there was a certain sweet- 
stuff which the old gods used to eat at dessert, 
more delicious than all honey and all wine. So 
the two stood sucking the pip, looking at one 
another, and not saying a word. But the sweet 
was charmed, and in a little while Grif’s eyes 
began to look soft and loving instead of fierce, 
and he began to see the princess as the most 
beautiful, and sweet, and tender of women, and 
to love her with all his heart. And it was just 


120 


King Gab's Story Bag. 

the same with the princess. She did not think 
General Grif old and cross now, but he seemed 
to her so noble, and good, and handsome, that 
she made up her mind she would never marry 
any one else. 

“ Sweet princess/’ said the general, “ I will 
do anything to serve you.” 

“ How good you are 1 sne cried, and held 
out to him her hand. 

The general made a step forwards, and a 
deep bow, and took her hand and kissed it. 
The princess blushed, and held down her head. 
“ I wish I was a better princess,” she said, 
“ and then — then you would care for me.” 

“ I care for you with all my heart,” said the 
general, kissing her hand again. 

“ And so do I for you,” she answered, and 
blushed more deeply than before, and hung 
down her head on his shoulder. 

Ah, how happy they both looked as he put 
his arm round her waist, and kissed her lips, 
and she kissed him back ! 

“ If you will be my bride, dearest princess,’’ 
he said, “ then my winter will be gone, and my 
happiness begun.” 


Grip and the Red Pip. 


121 


“ I will be only yours,” she answered, “ and 
the king must let us do what we like because 
you are so great and so clever, and because I 
am his only daughter.” 

Then he clasped her in his arms, and said, 
“You are my sunshine, and the red rose of 
my life.” 

Now they had not noticed that there was 
any one else in the room, so Pip and the witch 
crept quietly away, and stepped through the 
window, and got inside the tub again, and put 
up the sail, and made haste back, because the 
first rays of morning shone. Pip was delighted 
with his journey, and thanked the witch very 
much, and promised to be ready again the next 
night. Then he got in at his own window, and 
shut it down, and crept into bed, and fell 
asleep. 

When the sun was quite up his mother 
came into the room to see if Pip was awake, 
and then came again presently, just as Pip was 
opening his eyes. 

“ Why, Pip,” said his mother, “ you are not 
tucked up as you were last night I I am afraid 
you have not slept well.” 


122 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


Now Pip could not tell a story, so he 
answered, “ Indeed, mother, I think I never 
had such a good night, thank you.” And then 
he got up, and ate his breakfast with a good 
appetite, and when he went on the village green, 
sure enough he found that Gamp’s lame leg was 
well ; but Pip did not care to play, but sat under 
the great yew-tree, and thought of General Grif 
and the red pip. 



The Pip and the Maiden. 


123 


THE BLACK PIP AND THE WHITE 
MAIDEN. 

The next night the witch tapped at the window 
directly the mother had gone out of Pip’s room, 
and Pip opened his window and stepped into 
the tub, and off they sailed at a great rate 
through the air. A strong west wind was blow- 
ing, and the witch stretched the towel as wide 
as it would go between the two sticks, and they 
went along much faster than they did the night 
before. To Pip it looked as if the woods, and 
rivers, and towns were scampering away behind 
them, and he clapped his hands at the fun. 

“ Look !” cried Pip, “ how fast that river is 
running after the town with three churches I In 
a minute it will catch it, and then, oh dear! 
won’t the river drown all the people ?” 

“ No,” said the witch ; “ for the towns and 
the rivers are not changing their places, but we 
are moving over them.” 

“ But I can see the river rushing right up to 
the churches,” said Pip. 


124 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


“You must not always believe your own 
eyes,” answered the witch. 

“ Whose should I believe, then ?” said Pip 
to himself. 

After a time Pip saw something very high 
in front of them that looked like a great 
wall. 

“ Now,” said he, “we cannot go any farther, 
for that is the wall built up at the end of the 
world, I think.” 

“ No, Pip,” answered the witch, “ that is a 
range of mountains. We shall sail over them. 
And, besides, have not you heard that ours is 
a world without end ?” 

“ Yes,” said Pip. 

What a fine sail they had over the moun- 
tains ! Pip said he had never seen anything so 
wonderful in all his life. Some of the moun- 
tains were very dark, and the black pine trees 
climbed up and up them till they were stopped 
by the snow. Some of the mountains were all 
snow and ice, and looked so white and beautiful 
with the moon shining upon them, that Pip 
held his breath for awe and wonder. At last he 
said to the witch, “ Are these real mountains, 


The Pip and the Maiden. 


125 


please, or are they the ghosts of black moun- 
tains that are dead ?” 

“ They are real mountains, Pip,” she 
answered, “ and the reason why they are so 
white and beautiful is that they are nearer to 
heaven than the rest.” 

“ How I should like to live on the top of 
one of them for ever !” said Pip. 

“ You would soon be frozen to death,” 
answered the witch. 

And, sure enough, as they passed over one 
of the ice mountains, Pip began to shiver with 
cold. Then, on the other side, Pip saw a great 
mass of shining ice, winding along between 
two snow mountains. 

“ That is a river frozen to death,” said the 
witch. 

“ I wonder how it got there !” said Pip ; “ I 
never knew before that rivers could climb up 
into the mountains.” 

“ No more they can,” answered the witch. 

“ But yet I have often heard of rivers 
running down from the mountains,” said 
Pip, “so I suppose they must have run up 
first.” 


126 King Gab's Story Bag. 

“ No,” said the witch ; “ they are born 
there.” 

“ But then the big rivers, their fathers and 
mothers, must have climbed up to put them 
there,” said Pip. 

“ No,” said the witch again ; “ the sun is 
their father, and the clouds their mother, and 
they are up there already.” 

“ I wonder if they know their own father 
and mother,” said Pip ; “ I am sure I did not.” 

“ Live and learn,” answered the witch. 

“ So I will as long as ever I can,” replied 
Pip. 

By this time they had come far over the 
snow and ice, and reached a valley shut in by 
mountains on every side. The witch folded 
up the two sticks and the towel, and the 
tub stopped by the side of a stream that 
ran through the middle of the valley. “ Take 
my hand,” said the witch, and Pip got out, 
and walked along by her side till they came 
to a lonely little house made only of mud 
and straw. There was no garden in front, 
and no glass in the windows, and there was 
no door. So when they came up, Pip looked 


The Pip and the Maiden . 


127 


in. It was a sad sight. There was no table 
inside, and no fireplace, and no carpet on the 
floor, and not a spoon nor pot to be seen. 
But on the floor, by the door, was sitting a fair 
maiden, with her hands clasped in her lap, and 
with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her 
hair was like pale gold, and was very long, and 
fell over her white shoulders, and over her 
beautiful white arms. She had no shoes on, 
and her white feet were cut with stones. Her 
dress was quite white, but was torn almost to 
rags. Pip had never seen any one so beautiful 
in all his life, and when he saw the tears stream- 
ing down her white sad cheeks, he could not 
help crying himself. 

At this the White Maiden looked up with her 
beautiful blue eyes, but when she saw it was 
Pip there, and the witch, she did not speak one 
word, but began to cry more bitterly than 
before. 

“ I am so sorry for you!” said little Pip. 
“ Oh, do not cry so sadly !” 

“ Alas !” said she, “ I cannot help it. I 
almost hoped it was my prince come back, but 
he never will, and I must be sad for ever.” 


128 


King Gab’s Stony Bag. 


“Oh, do not say so,” answered Pip; “per- 
haps we can help you and he knelt down by 
her side, and kissed the white hands that were 
folded together. 

“ Alas ! ” said she, “ you cannot help me. No 
one can help me. No one can bring my prince 
back to me.” Then she looked at Pip so sadly 
that he thought his heart would break to see it. 

Then in a strange deep tone the witch spoke 
these words — 

“ What’s to come is still unsure ; 

Griefs a stuff will not endure ; 

That may end which cannot cure.” 

And then the witch sat down in front of the 
White Maiden, and said, “ We have made a 
long, long journey on purpose to see you, and 
you will find that we can help you. So do not 
be afraid, but tell us the story of your life.” 

The White Maiden looked surprised at 
being spoken to in such a manner, but at 
length she said, “ As you speak so kindly, I 
will* do as you wish, but I do not believe you 
can help me.” 

Then Pip sat down by her side, and leaned 
his head against her white breast, where he 


The Pip and the Maiden. 


129 


could see her sad blue eyes, and stroked very 
softly her long golden hair while she told them 
the story of her life. 

“Ah, how different all the place used to 
be !” said the White Maiden, pointing through 
the open doorway. “ It is very hard to believe 
that it can be the same place. Now the river is 
dull and dark, and only weeds grow near. The 
trees are bare and wild, and nothing grows that 
I can eat except red berries that are very sour. 
No birds come and sing now, and no one lives 
here to see me, or to say one kind word. And 
all the place used to be more beautiful than 
words can tell. 

“ When I was little I was so happy ! The 
river was clear and bright, and used to dance 
along, and sing pretty tunes. Sweet flowers 
grew all along the banks, and they used to nod 
at me, and then bend over their pretty heads to 
see how they looked in the water. Fishes as 
bright as silver swam about, and I would try to 
catch them in my hands, and paddle about in 
the water, and splash about, and laugh for joy. 
Dear little birds used to hop round me on the 
bank, and some of them would sit over-head in 

J 


130 King Gab's Story Bag . 

the branches, and sing more sweetly than words 
can tell. 

“Well, one day while I was sitting on a 
bank, and twining flowers in my hair, a lovely 
fairy suddenly stood before me. ‘ My dear 
child/ she said, ‘ I have come to give you a 
beautiful present.’ Then she showed me in her 
hands a fairy charm that stood up like a book, 
and it was made of silver, and on it were written 
many strange words, every letter made of a 
gem ; and the gems were red and blue and 
green, and were joined together with yellow 
gold to make up the strange words. I had 
never seen anything so beautiful in my life, and 
I clapped my hands for joy. Then I sat down 
by the side of the fairy, and she taught me my 
letters, and how to say the strange words. 

“Then said she, ‘This is the most won- 
derful charm in all the world. Every morning 
you must read one word, and then you will have 
a happy day. And every night you must read 
one word, and then you will have dreams more 
pretty than words can tell. When you want 
breakfast or dinner, you have only to read one 
word, and whatever you wish will come. If 


The Pip and the Maiden . 13 1 

you want a palace, or servants, or beautiful 
dresses, all you have to do is to read one of 
these magic words and say your wish, and it 
will be done.’ 

‘“What a wonderful charm is this!’ thought 
I, and I held out my hand to take it. 

“ ‘ But there is one thing more I must tell 
you/ said the fairy, ‘ before I give you the 
charm. You must never turn it upside-down. 
Mind this, and take care, for if you ever turn it 
upside-down, the charm will all run out of the 
words and your happiness will be gone/ 

“ ‘Then, indeed, I will never turn it upside- 
down/ said I, and I took the fairy charm care- 
fully in my hands. 

“The first thing I did, after thanking the 
fairy, was to read one of the strange words, and 
wish for the most beautiful garden that ever 
was seen. In a moment a crowd of queer gob- 
lins and brownies ran out from the trees with 
silver spades in their hands, and began to dig 
pathways and make banks, and set a lot of trees 
and flowers more beautiful than words can tell. 
Then I skipped about with delight, and dug 
with one of the spades myself, to know that it 

J 2 


132 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


was all real, and had a good game at hide-and- 
seek with the goblins. 

“ The next day I read another of the words, 
and wished for the most beautiful palace that 
ever could be. No sooner had I said the words 
than a crowd of gnomes and earthmen came up 
out of the ground, every one with a stone on 
his back and a trowel in his hand. But these 
were precious stones, and shone red and yellow 
and blue, as if they were lit up with fire, and 
the trowels were made of silver. In a little 
time a palace was built up that glittered in the 
sun like glass and gold. Then I wished for* 
some servants to wait on me, and there came 
down the steps of the palace a crowd of fairy 
angels, some with wings like fire, and some 
with wings like moonbeams with stars shining 
through, and they led me all through the rooms 
of my palace. What chandeliers were there, 
and sofas of silk, and marble side-tables, and 
beautiful paintings on the wall, and ornaments 
of glass and gold, all more wonderful than words 
can tell ! That night I went to sleep in my 
palace, in a pretty room all pink and white. 

“ I did not forget to read one of the strange 


The Pip and the Maiden. 133 

words in the morning, so that I might have a 
happy day; and then the fairy-angels spread 
for me a most beautiful breakfast, with cakes 
and jam and fruit and rice, almost too pretty 
to eat. Afterwards, as I walked in the gar- 
den, I wondered if there was not something 
else I wanted to make me quite happy, and I 
thought if I was the princess of the palace, 
there ought to be a prince too. So I read one 
of the charm-words, and wished for the most 
beautiful prince that ever the sun had shone 
upon. 

“ I turned round, and there stood the prince 
on the top of the marble steps. He came at 
once to meet me, and he looked so noble, and 
grand, and good that I began to love him with 
all my heart. He smiled on me, and it was 
more beautiful than sunshine. He spoke to 
me — ah, what sweet, sweet words ! Then my 
beautiful prince kissed me, and it was sweeter 
than all wine. 

“ No words can tell how happy we were 
together. We sat amongst the flowers, and he 
told me the most beautiful stories. We walked 
about our gardens, and told the goblins what 


134 King Gab's Story Bag. 

to do. We sailed along our river in a boat of 
cedar with silken sails. I always carried the 
fairy-charm with me very carefully ; and some- 
times we had dinner in the wood and sometimes 
at home. In the evening we used to have balls 
in the palace, with the most beautiful music. 
My prince was named after one of the prettiest 
words in the charm, but these words I cannot 
now say. So every morning I used to read a 
charm-word, and all our days were happy ; and 
every night I read a word, and had the most 
beautiful dreams. And so we lived together 
a long time, and were more happy than words 
can tell. 

“Ah, how sweet were those days! Why 
did they ever come to an end ? How changed 
is all since then ! Now I can never be happy 
again. 

“You must know that I always took the 
greatest care of the charm, and used to count 
the very letters and kiss them with delight. 
But one day, as we sat at dinner in the garden, 
a bird with beautiful long wings flew down 
from one of the trees, and struck against the 
fairy-charm with its wings, and the charm fell 




THE MATDEN AND JfFR FAIRY CHARM 


[Page 135 







The Pip and the Maiden . 


135 


off the table upside-down on to the ground. I 
cried out in fear, and tried to catch it, but I 
could not. I cried and cried, and picked up 
the charm in my hands, but, alas ! it was too 
late. All the beautiful colours ran out of the 
precious stones, and they turned to dirt ; the 
silver turned to tin, and the gold to rusty brass. 
The dinner-table broke up into little pieces ; all 
the wine ran away, and the beautiful dishes 
turned to lumps of earth. Then I looked round 
to the prince and began to cry in sore trouble, 
for the colour was passing away from his face 
and the light fading from his eyes. I clasped 
him in my arms, and cried, 'Sweet prince, do 
not die! I will give my life instead!’ Then 
he gave me one last smile, and tried to speak, 
but could not; and he placed his hand upon his 
heart. I knelt down with my breast against 
his, to keep his body warm with my life-blood, 
but his eyes closed and his heart ceased to beat, 
and I cried aloud in my sorrow. Then once 
more I put my arms round my prince to clasp 
him to my heart, but my arms only folded to- 
gether and were empty, for my prince vanished 
quite away. 


136 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


“ My prince ! my sweet prince ! I loved 
him better than my life ; and he is lost and 
dead, and my heart is empty for ever ! 

“When I looked round, all the leaves and 
blossoms had fallen from the trees, and the 
flowers of the garden all turned to weeds ; the 
sunshine faded away from the river, the birds 
all flew far away, and my beautiful palace 
crumbled down, till there was nothing left of it 
but this hut of straw and mud. All my happi- 
ness was gone, and I was left to weep. 

“ At first I could do nothing but wander 
about on the dull sand and by the dark river, 
and weep all day, thinking of what I had lost. 
This lasted many days. Then I said within 
myself, ‘The place is surely just the same as it 
used to be, only I see it differently. What does 
that matter, if it is the same ? I will pretend that 
my hut is the palace ; I will pretend that my 
berries are cakes and pies ; I will pretend I have 
a garden and servants and all things as before/ 

“ So then I pretended to feel happy, and I 
pretended to give orders to the goblins and 
fairies, and to have feasts and balls. I used to 
read the words in the old charm, every side up, 


The Pip and the Maiden. 


137 


and pretend they looked as they used. And I 
used to talk to my sweet prince just as if he 
were alive, and could hear me; and I used 
to shut my eyes and answer myself back, and 
make pretence it was my prince talking to 
me. But when I opened my eyes there was 
only the empty hut, made of mud, and no prince 
was there ; and my heart grew always more sad 
and empty ; and I can never, never be happy for 
thinking of the beautiful days that are gone, 
and that can never come back ! ” 

When she had said all this, the White Maiden 
folded her hands together in her lap, and sat 
quite still, with the tears running down her sad 
white cheeks, and did not move nor stir. 

Pip was crying too, and he said, “ I am so 
very sorry, but we can help you, so do not cry 
so sadly/’ 

“ Can you put back the charm into the 
words ?” she answered. “ Can you bring back 
my lost prince? No, my sorrow can never be 
taken away.” 

Then the witch told Pip to give to the White 
Maiden the black pip, on which was written — 
u U make an tub of sorrofo tjjat nralb not bt tureb.” 


138 King Gab's Story Bag . 

When the White Maiden had read this, she 
first thanked Pip for it, and the witch, and then 
put it to her lips. As soon as she had done 
this, it all melted away on her tongue, and she 
shivered as if it were very cold or very bad to 
taste. Then she looked at Pip and smiled, but 
he could not tell why, and then her eyes closed 
and her fair head fell on to Pip's shoulder. So 
he held the White Maiden with his cheek against 
hers and his arms round her, and thought she 
had fallen asleep and would wake up happy 
again. But her cheeks grew very cold and she 
did not breathe, and the witch said, '‘The past 
is past : come away!” 

“ Is this the way to make an end of sorrow 
that cannot be cured ?” asked Pip. 

“Hush!” said the witch. “It is a mys- 
tery. Come away ! 

“ What seems, lies ; 

Death hath eyes ; 

Love is wise : 

Come ! 

Grief must weep; 

Care must sleep ; 

Then dare the deep — 

Home !" 


The Pip and the Maiden . 


139 


Then Pip and the witch went back and 
stepped into the tub, and Pip did not speak a 
word all the way home, and could not eat much 
breakfast in the morning, and did not play all 
day on the village green. 



140 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


THE BLUE PIP AND THE FAIRY. 

On the third night Pip made a very different 
journey with the witch. They sailed only a 
little way, into a dark wood, where they came 
to a deep, deep hole, deeper than any well that 
ever was made. Now on the edge of this deep 
hole was a heap of cannon-balls. The witch 
took three of these, and put them into her tub. 
She sat on one, and Pip sat on one, and there 
was just room enough left for the other, on 
which they both put their feet. 

Down went the tub, with this heavy weight 
in it — down it went, deep, deep down the w T ell 
— and so fast did it go, that Pip clutched hold 
on the side of the tub to save himself from 
being left behind in the air. 

“ What a bump we shall get when we come 
to the bottom!” said Pip, gasping for breath. 

“ We shall not get any bump at all, Pip,” 
answered the witch, “ for this is Gnome-land, 
where dwell the souls of bad fairies.” 

This made Pip very sorrowful, for he began 
























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THE BLUE PIP AND THE FAIRY, 


{Page 141, 



The Blue Pip and the Fairy. 141 

to think that he should never see his dear 
mother any more, nor get back in time for his 
bread-and-milk in the morning. 

But the deep dark hole they were falling 
down grew wider and wider, until it was wider 
than his mother’s best room, and wider than 
the village church, and wider than the village 
green. And still wider the place grew, until 
Pip could not see any side to it on the right 
hand nor on the left. Then the witch put up 
the sail between the two sticks, and the tub 
went along as straight as an arrow; and they 
soon came to a very dreadful land. All the 
ground was black, as if it were coal or iron. 
The trees were quite black, with white leaves 
and black flowers, and every leaf and every 
flower moaned with pain. “ These are the souls 
of idle fairies who were too easily contented 
in the world,” said the witch. “ They would 
not stir themselves, however ill their condition 
was, so here they have to stop, where they can 
see nothing and do nothing, until they pine 
for the day and the labour they used to scorn.” 

The birds that flew along were all black, 
with white beaks and white claws, and they 


142 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


did not sing, but only screamed. “ These are 
the souls of restless birds that never made 
homes in your world,” said the witch, “ so here 
they have to build nests of a very puzzling 
pattern, for ever and ever; and all the while 
they keep pulling one another’s nests down, 
instead of helping each other to build.” 

There were wild beasts too, all black, with 
white eyes and white teeth, and long white 
claws, and they went about howling, and fight- 
ing with one another. u These are the souls of 
angry and quarrelsome fairies,” said the witch ; 
“ they have to fight with one another, and be 
killed, as often as they had angry thoughts 
when they lived in your world.” 

In this strange land there were many black 
rocks, and black mountains, and black caves, 
and black rivers. And all over the place 
wandered white fairy ghosts, wringing their 
hands and sobbing ; and they all had black 
stains on their robes. These ghosts knelt 
down on the banks of the black rivers, or by 
the shore of the great black sea into which the 
rivers ran, and tried to wash away their stains 
in the black waters. But every time they 


143 


The Blue Pip and the Fairy. 

dipped in their hands, white flames shot up 
out of the waters and burnt them dreadfully, 
and made the ghosts gibber and squeal. Pip 
had never heard such wild noises in all his 
life, and put his fingers to his ears. “ These 
are the souls of fairies who have done wicked 
things up in the world,” said the witch. “ Here 
must they remain, knowing all the while that 
they might have gone to a happier place.” 

The tub sailed along over the sea, and Pip 
was glad enough when they had passed by the 
rivers and the fires. Then they came to a wide, 
wide land, where there was not one tree, nor a 
bird, nor any moving thing, nor any voice. It 
was a land of terrible silence, and of deep dark- 
ness. Pip began to feel afraid, and said to the 
witch in a whisper, “ It is so cold, and so dark ! 
Please let us go away !” 

But the witch answered, “ This is the land 
of despair; here we shall find the fairy who, 
having at first gone to the happier place, has 
wandered out again.” 

With these words, the witch folded up the 
sail, and the tub rested on the ground. Now 
right up 'above them, far, far away, there was 


144 King Gab's Story Bag. 

a light shining, like the light of three stars, 
and by this light Pip began to see that there 
was something lying on some ashes close by 
the place where he stood. Pip strained his 
eyes, and then he saw that it was a beautiful 
boy-fairy ; but his face was very, very sad, and 
he had heaped up ashes all over his body. 

The witch sat down on her tub, and began 
to throw up the three cannon-balls like a con- 
juror, and so cleverly that they never fell to the 
ground, and never struck against each other. 
Pip thought it was very unkind of her to begin 
playing a game like that, and he sat down by 
the side of the fairy, and felt very miserable. 
At last Pip said to the fairy, “ I am so sorry 
for you !” But the fairy lay still and wretched, 
and said not a single word. 

“ If you are unhappy, why don’t you cry, 
or do something?” said Pip. But the fairy 
lay still and wretched, and said not a word. 

“ Do tell us about your troubles,” said Pip, 
“and perhaps we can comfort you.” But the 
fairy would not move nor speak. 

“ Do open your eyes and look at us,” said 
Pip; “we have come a long journey on pur- 


The Blue Pip and the hairy. 145 

pose to help you.” But the fairy lay stock- 
still. Then Pip sat still too, and very un- 
happy. 

But the witch kept on playing with the 
cannon-balls, and began to say — 

“ One, two ! up she goes ! 

Come down, number three ! 

Past and gone : some one knows. 

Odds-bobs ! what’s to be.” 

Now when the fairy heard some one keep 
on saying, “ One, two, up she goes 1” he wanted 
to see what it could be, so he opened his eyes 
a little way, and saw the big black balls going 
up and coming down. Then he stretched him- 
self, and sat up in the ashes, feeling very 
wretched, and wondering how the witch could 
be so clever. 

Then the witch looked round at him, and 
said — 

“ One, two ! up she goes ! 

Fairy, tell us now your woes. 

Down she comes, then up again ; 

All that’s lost is all to gain.” 

“ I do not want to talk,” answered the 
fairy; “I am too wretched.” 


x. 


146 King Gab's Story Bag. 

“ But you must,” said she. “ Come down, 
number three !” 

“ I cannot tell you of my troubles while you 
keep saying, ‘ Up she goes !’ ” said the fairy. 

When the witch heard this, she left off her 
game, and put the cannon-balls back into the 
tub, and the fairy sat quite up. Then Pip 
noticed that from his shoulders, where fairies’ 
wings always grow, there were only two long, 
bare, bony strips, without any gauze on them. 

“Alas!” said the fairy, “here I had the 
most beautiful gauze — white and gold, blue 
and silver, green and red. But now I have 
not a piece left, and cannot fly back to 
Fairy-land.” 

“ But where is Fairy-land ?” asked Pip. 

“There, right up !” answered the fairy, and 
he pointed to the light far away. 

“ I can only see three little stars,” said Pip. 

“ But I can see a whole paradise there,” 
answered the fairy, “ because I have been 
there. And that is why it is so sad for me 
now to lie here, where I can see up to 
Fairy-land without being there.” 

“Then why do not you go to the country 


The Blue Pip and the Fairy. 147 


behind, where the black mountains are, and 
the sea of fire?” asked Pip. 

“I wish I might!” said the fairy, with a 
deep sigh. “ They have something to do there. 
But I cannot help seeing Fairy-land, and 
all I have lost, however far off I am ; because 
I was once there. Still any place would be 
better than this black land of despair.” 

The boy-fairy groaned deeply, and rested 
quite still. Then the witch lifted up one of 
her lean fingers at him, and said in a low 
voice — 

44 Tell your tale of loss and pain ; 

All that’s lost is all to gain.” 

“ I don’t know what is the use of telling 
you my story, I am sure,” said the fairy ; 
“ but still I will, as you wish it so much.” So 
the fairy began to tell his story, in a sad voice, 
in these words — 

“ When I lived in the world of men, as 
I did once, I was a king’s son; so I had a 
cupboard-full of Noah’s-arks and soldiers ; and 
I used to have currant-cakes and ginger-beer 
as often as ever I liked ; and I had a brown 
pony to ride on. And I had a little servant- 

K 2 


148 King Gab's Story Bag. 

maid to dress me in the morning, and wait on 
me all day, and put me to bed at night ; and 
her name was Lucy, only we always called her 
Lulu. Sometimes I was not a very good boy, 
for I used to kick Lulu when she washed me, 
and beat her with my pony-whip when she did 
not do what I wanted in our play. But I was 
not always naughty, for I used to kiss her 
afterwards, and give her some of my cake, for 
I loved her best in all the world except my own 
mamma. 

“ But at last I could not go into the garden 
and play any more, for I had the measles, and 
the doctor came and gave me some nasty physic, 
and I grew worse and worse. I cannot tell how 
kind Lulu was to me then. She used to tell 
me pretty stories, and sit with me always, 
except when my mamma was there. At last 
I grew so ill that the doctor said I should die 
that night ; so my mamma stayed all the time, 
and held me by the hand, and gave me many 
kisses. I never loved my mamma so much as 
I did then, and I promised I would always be 
good, if only I got better ; but I grew worse 
and worse. 


The Blue Pip and the Fairy . 149 

“ Then I saw a white fairy with a crown of 
gold on one side of my bed, and a wicked gnome 
on the other side, black and ugly, with eyes like 
fire and a tongue like flames. So I was 
frightened, and put out my hands to the 
white fairy to take* me. But the wicked 
gnome caught one of my hands, and cried, 
‘ He is a bad boy, for he used to beat Lulu ; 
so he must come with me/ 

“ At that moment Lulu came into the room, 
and I called out to her, and she came up to the 
bed. And I said, ‘ Dear Lulu, I am sorry I 
have been a naughty boy; will you forgive 
me ?’ And she kissed me, and said she would. 

“ Now my mamma had let go my hand, and 
was kneeling down by my bed, and she cried 
very much, thinking me her son ; and that was 
the last thing I saw before I died. Then, when 
I had left my body, and come into the fairy 
world, the wicked gnome went away spitting fire, 
and the white fairy took me up into Fairy-land. 
Oh, how glad I was to see the back of the black 
gnome ! and how. happy I was to be in Fairy- 
land ! No words can tell how beautiful the 
place is, and how happy it is to be there. 


150 King Gab's Story Bag . 

“ Now in Fairy-land there are twelve gates, 
leading down to all parts of the earth, and 
the fairies used to go to the gates to see what 
friends might come up from the world, and to 
show them the wonders of Fairy-land. So I 
went very often to the ®gate that led down to 
the country where I had lived, and every 
day I hoped my dear mamma would come. At 
last there came in a lady, borne by fairies, 
whose face I knew, but it was not my mamma, 
but only Lulu. Still I was very glad to see her, 
and w^e kissed each other. Then she told me 
that my father had gone to war again, and that 
my mamma went to the hospitals to bind up the 
wounds of the soldiers; and I showed Lulu 
some of the wonderful things in Fairy-land. 

“ Now I wanted Lulu to be my little servant 
again, as she used to be, but the other fairies 
told her that she must not, because we were 
now equals. This made me angry, but I was 
more angry still when I found that the fairies 
began to like her better than me ; for she sang 
better than I could, and told the most beautiful 
stories. So I went away into a corner, and 
would neither talk nor sing. Then Lulu came 


The Blue Pip and the Fairy . 15 1 


and tried to make me good, but I would not 
speak a word. And other fairies came, but I 
would not listen, and so the next day they came 
again with a message from the King, and, with 
tears in their eyes, put me outside the great 
white gates. There they are, right up above, 
with a white star shining over them. 

“ So I spread my wings and flew away, 
down to the Lower Fairy-land, which is far be- 
neath the first, and I said in my heart, ‘ I shall be 
more happy here, for I shall not hear Lulu, and 
I shall not see that the fairies like her best.’ 
But as I flew, the most beautiful colours of my 
gossamer wings began to fade. I beat my wings 
and kept them in motion, hoping the colours 
would come back again. But the more I flew tne 
more they kept fading, until I had not one beau- 
tiful colour left. Then I sat down in Lower 
Fairy-land, and tried to get new colours, but 
could not. They had all gone from me for ever. 

“ At first I was very happy there, except when 
I looked up to the Upper Fairy-land. But that 
made me angry, and I used to wish that Lulu had 
never come there. Now sometimes the fairies 
of Upper Fairy-land used to come down to 


i5 2 


King Gab's Story Bag . - 


us, and we would sing together, and talk and fly 
together, and dress one another’s hair with 
flowers, and tell stories of all that we had seen. 
But I would never speak to Lulu when she 
came, and at last, when they all noticed this, 
and began to praise her, I grew very angry, and 
said that I hated her, and wished she was 
dead. She was not good at all, I said, but 
very proud, or else she would have been my 
little servant again. The fairies tried to show 
me that I was wrong, but they could not, and 
in the end the King sent a command that I 
was to be put outside the gates. So, with 
tears in their eyes, the fairies shut me out- 
side Lower Fairy-land. There it is up above, 
with a blue star shining over the gates. Then, 
as I flew down, the remaining colours of my 
gossamer wings faded out, and when I came to 
the Lowest Fairy-land my wings were much 
spoilt. 

“ Here, too, I was happy for a time, while I 
did not think of the past. But when I thought 
of my dear mother coming to Upper Fairy-land, 
and not finding me there, I was very sad. And 
then when I thought how happy Lulu was, and 


The Blue Pip and ike Fairy. 153 


that she was the cause of all my misery, I grew 
very angry, and hated her more than ever. Now, 
one day she made a visit to Lowest Fairy-land 
to pray me to be good again, and to love her, for 
then, she said, ‘ my gossamer would grow again, 
and I could fly back to her.’ But I was very 
angry, and hit her with all my might. Ah, 
that was a terrible blow ! She folded her arms, 
and stood quite still, with tears streaming down 
her white cheeks. As for me, all that remained 
of my beautiful wings dropped to the ground ; 
my eyes saw everything red as blood ; my ears 
were filled with a wild cry like a thousand 
thunders, and then I found myself driven out- 
side the third gate of Fairy-land — with the red 
star shining over it. Then I fell, and fell, and 
fell! — ah, how terrible! I could not guide 
myself, for my wings had no feathers — so I fell, 
and fell, and fell, till I came to the world of 
gnomes. All that I have seen and suffered since 
then, words cannot tell ; and now at last I am 
here, and there is no hope for me for ever!” 

When he had said these words, the fairy 
rested quite still for grief, and did not so much 
as sigh. 


i54 


King Gab's Story Bag. " 

Then Pip brought out of his pocket the blue 
pip, and showed it to the fairy. He took it in 
his hands and read — 

" to make % toings of a fairg grofo faljo (jab lost bag out of 
^fatrg-lanb.” 

As the fairy read this his lips whispered, 
“ Nothing can help me! I am lost for ever!” 

“ Eat that pip,” said the witch. “ An empty 
stomach never lightened a heavy heart.” 

“Up and down, grief, joy, and pain; 

All that’s lost is all to gain.” 

The fairy sat looking at the queer witch for 
a time, and then ate the pip, and his eyes began 
to brighten. 

At that moment, through the deep darkness 
over-head, Pip saw a tiny star coming towards 
them, far, far away. But nearer and nearer it 
came, nearer and nearer, until at last they saw 
that it was a fairy. And what a beautiful fairy 
this was ! Pip had never seen any one so lovely 
in all his life. Her face was very fair ; her long 
golden hair fell like a veil over her snowy 
breast and shoulders ; her eyes were soft and 
bright, and loving. Her wings were very wide, 


The Blue Pip and the Fairy. 155 

and looked splendid with white and gold, blue 
and silver, green and red, as she beat the still 
air and made her way down. 

When the fairy reached the ground, she 
folded up her wings and knelt down by the side 
cf the boy-fairy, and took his hand timidly as 
if she was afraid he would be angry with her. 
But he looked up at her, and sighed deeply, and 
then smiled. Now, when the boy-fairy ate 
the pip his heart had felt happier with a 
little hope, and his wings had begun to grow 
again. 

“ Why, is it you, dear Lulu ?” he cried to 
the lovely fairy. “ How very good of you ! I 
do not deserve this. Will you forgive me for 
all the wrong I have done you ?” 

“ It is all forgiven long ago,” said Lulu, and 
she put her arm round him. “ Will you let me 
stay with you till you get right back to Fairy- 
land. Oh, I shall be so glad !” 

While these words were being said, the 
witch nudged Pip’s arm, and they got up, and 
sat down in their tyb. Then the sail was put 
up, and Pip turned round. There were the two 
fairies flying upward, Lulu holding the boy- 


156 King Gab's Story Bag. 

fairy by the hand, for his wings were only 
beginning to grow, and he could not fly very 
fast. 

Very soon the tub sailed back over the fiery 
sea, and came to the hole that reaches up into 
our world. Pip wondered however they were 
to sail up such a narrow place, and he began 
to ask the witch. 

“ Wait and see/’ she said. “ Never ask 
what you are sure to know.” 

With that she threw out the three cannon- 
balls from the tub, one after the other, and no 
sooner was this done, than the tub flew straight 
up a thousand times faster than a balloon, and 
Pip was quite out of breath when he got home. 

“ I do not know how to thank you for being 
so kind as to take me these journeys,” said Pip 
to the witch. “ I shall never think witches are 
bad any more.” 

“ But some are,” answered she, “ so you 
must have a care. And let me tell you, Pip, 
that if you always keep a kind heart, all that 
you have seen in these journeys will be nothing 
to what will yet happen to you.” 

“ Good-bye, you dear old dame,” said Pip ; 


The Blue Pip and the Fairy. 157 

“ I shall never forget what I have seen, and 
what you have told me.’' 

Then Pip crept through the window to his 
bed, and kissed his mother in the morning with 
much love, and ate a good breakfast, and gave 
some of his bread-and-milk to his dog Tip. 



158 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


BOB AND TAIL, AND THE TORTOISE 
RACE. 

A certain wise king had two sons born to him, 
twins ; so all the lords and ladies of the court 
came into the nursery to hear what names the 
king would choose. 

“ My lords and ladies of the court,” said the 
king, “ see how much alike are my two sons. 
That is because they are born twins. Each has 
two eyes, and two ears, and two legs, and two 
arms; and each has one nose, and one mouth, 
and one head. And if you count aright, they 
have also the same number of fingers and toes 
each. I will therefore give them names very 
much alike, and then they will know they are 
twin brothers, and will love one another. So 
one of them shall be called Bob, and the other 
Tail.” 

But for all this the two brothers did not 
grow up much alike. Tail grew up fair, and 
thick, and fat, and slow, and was often called 
Tortoise-Tail. And Bob grew up thin, and 


Bob and Tail. 


159 


quick, and clever, and was called Hare-Bob. 
When they used to play at buttons together, 
Prince Hare-Bob always won ; but his twin 
brother used to say, “ I shall win all my buttons 
back, if I go on playing long enough.” 

When they fought together, Hare -Bob 
used to hit his brother in the eye, and then 
would bob away from his brother’s knocks ; 
but Tortoise-Tail used to say, “ I shall give 
him a good beating one of these days, if I try 
often enough.” 

When they learnt their ABC, Tortoise- 
Tail used to say his lesson over a hundred 
times, and then did not know it as well as Hare- 
Bob, who only said his over ten times. “ Never 
mind,” said Prince Tail, “ if I am last I am not 
least, and one day I will be first in everything.” 

When they could read, Hare-Bob liked the 
“History of Jack the Giant Killer,” because he 
was so clever, and his bean-stalk grew so fast. 
But of all the stories in the world, Prince 
Tortoise-Tail liked best the “ History of the 
Tortoise and the Hare.” “ I am slow like the 
tortoise,” said he, “ and therefore I shall pass 
my hare-brained brother one of these days.” 


i6o 


King Gab's Story Bag . 


Now as soon as they were grown up, the 
king said to his two sons on the last day of the 
year, “Go your way into the wide world, and 
learn what you can, and come back to me again 
in three years and a day.” And then he gave 
to each of them a bag of money, and a kiss, and 
his blessing for the journey. 

Off the two princes started together, but 
Hare-Bob went too fast for his brother, and 
Tortoise-Tail said to him, “ You will wear your 
legs off, if you go on at that rate !” 

But Hare-Bob laughed and said, “ I shall 
go on and leave you behind, good brother ; and, 
after all, that is the right place for the tail.” 

By this time Tortoise-Tail and Hare-Bob 
had come to a place called Gab-town, just where 
the wide world begins, so here the two brothers 
parted. Prince Tail only went into one country, 
because he walked very slowly, and used to beg 
as he went along, not liking to spend any of the 
money in his bag. But Prince Bob saw a hun- 
dred countries, and spent all his money, and 
found precious stones and mares’-nests, and sold 
these to fill his bag every time it was empty, 
and filled his pockets besides with jewels and 


Bob and Tail. 


161 


presents that were given to him at the king’s 
courts he visited. 

Well, at last the three years were over, and 
the twin brothers met together on the last day 
of the year at the place called Gab-town, which 
is at the beginning of the country where their 
father was king. So they sat down to rest, and 
began to tell each other of what they had seen ; 
but before Tortoise-Tail had come to the end of 
his first story, who should come along but the 
town clerk of the city, and the town crier with 
his big bell, and they stood in front of the two 
princes. Then the town crier rang his big bell 
very loudly, and gave them notice that the king 
their father was very ill, and wanted to see them 
before he died. 

“ Let us start off at once,” said Hare-Bob. 

“That we will,” said his brother ; “we will 
make a race of it, and see who gets there first.” 

Hare-Bob laughed at this, and said, “ Why, 
of course I should ! ” 

“The event shall name the winner, not 
you,” answered Tortoise-Tail, for he was think- 
ing of the story he loved the best in the world. 

“ It is thirty miles,” said the town clerk ; 

L 


1 62 King Gab's Story Bag. 

“ my noble princes, stay and take some supper 
before you start.” 

“What! with my father dying to see me?” 
cried Tortoise-Tail. “Not I!” With these 
words he bought a loaf of bread, and started off, 
and kept on munching as he went along. 

“ The more haste, the less speed,” said Hare- 
Bob, and he went home with the town clerk, 
and sat down, and ate some sausage, and drank 
some wine. 

Then he started off, and in one hour passed 
his brother on the road. “Good night!” said 
he. “ I hope I shall see you again in a few 
days.” 

“ Slow and steady wins the race,” answered 
Tortoise-Tail, and he trudged along munching 
his bread. 

After this the sun went down, and Hare- 
Bob came to a thick wood, and stopped to 
think. “ It is so dark,” said he to himself, 
“that I should lose my way in the wood in the 
night. Besides, it is a long way, and I shall 
get on the faster if I sleep till the sun rises, and 
rest myself.” So he gathered a lot of leaves 
for a bed, and lay down, and went to sleep. 


Bob and Tail . 


163 


After a time Tortoise-Tail comes up. “Ah,” 
says he to himself, “ here is my brother asleep. 
The story of the ‘ Hare and Tortoise ’ is quite 
true. I shall win after all. Hare-Bob should 
not have cried ‘ Hulloo!’ till he was out of the 
wood.” 

Talking like this, Tortoise-Tail trudged on, 
and passed his brother ; but the wood was very 
dark, and he lost his way, and in the morning 
when the sun began to shine, he was so sleepy 
and tired that he could not keep his eyes 
open, and he fell into a ditch, and slept for ten 
hours. 

But Hare-Bob only slept five hours, and 
woke up at the first cock-crow, and then he 
walked on straight to the king’s palace, and sat 
down by the king’s bed, and told the story of 
his adventures. And the good king laughed, 
though he was so ill, and kissed his son, and 
gave him his blessing, and then died. 

Then Hare-Bob took up the crown that was 
lying on the pillow, and put it on his head, and 
was made king. The first thing he did then 
was to send out his servants into the wood to 
search for his brother ; and they found Tortoise- 

L 2 


164 King Gab's Story Bag. 

Tail in the ditch, and brought him home to the 
palace half dead with hunger. 

Now Tortoise-Tail had come back too late 
to have a share of the kingdom, but Hare-Bob 
treated him very kindly, and gave him a house 
to live in. As for the race, this is all that King 
Hare-Bob ever said about it — “ Tortoises sleep 
as well as hares, but hares run better than 
tortoises.” 



i 


Charmshine. 


165 


CHARMSHINE. 

It happened one morning when the Queen of 
the Fairies woke up, that she heard a beautiful 
song under her window, and she remembered 
that it was her birthday. So while one of 
her fairy-maidens fastened the clasps of her 
sandals, the queen said, “ What pretty child is 
there whose birthday is the same as mine, and 
who is one year old to-day ?” 

And the maiden looked up and answered, 
“The little daughter of the King and Queen 
of Rootu is just one year old this very morning.” 

So after the queen had taken breakfast, 
she ordered her chariot to be brought, made of 
jewels and silver ; and a cloud of pretty doves 
drew it through the air. 

Now, when the Queen of the Fairies went 
into the royal palace of Rootu she found the 
queen with the little princess in her lap, in 
its long white clothes, and the queen was 
washing its sweet little face, and the little 
princess did not cry. Then the Fairy Queen 


a 66 King Gab's Story Bag . 

stooped over the baby-princess, and plaited a 
charm of sunshine into her soft curling hair, 
and said to the mother, “ I have given your 
little daughter a rare charm that will make 
every one love her, and you must let her be 
called Charmshine ; only her hair must be cut 
every year on her birthday, and on no other 
day, or else the charm will fail away, and 
the light will fail from her eyes, and she 
will die. ,, 

So the Princess Charmshine grew up, and 
the charm woven in her hair made it very 
beautiful, as if sunshine were mingled in it ; 
and she was so good and kind that every one 
loved her. 

• Now it came to pass that many kings’ sons 
journeyed into that land to see Charmshine ; 
and they all fell in love with her, but she would 
not marry one of them. And then came one 
king’s son who loved the princess better than 
all the others did, but there was a bad spell 
over him. When he was born there came in 
a magician, who cut off a piece of serge from 
his apron, and said that the prince must wear 
the black serge like a veil before his eyes till it 


Charmshine . 


167 

wore out of itself, and the last shred fell away ; 
but that if the serge was cut with scissors, or 
worn out by having holes picked in it, then the 
Prince would fall blind, and fall to pieces, limb 
from limb. So this prince was called Dark- 
brow, and all the other princes thought they 
looked finer than he did. But the Princess 
Charmshine never spoke unkindly to him, and 
never pointed her finger at the black serge as 
the other princesses did. 

Now in those days it was the fashion for all 
kings’ sons to go through the world and seek 
out adventures ; so Dark-brow continued his 
travels. He went through rivers and woods, 
and saw a great many dwarfs, many wild 
beasts, and a few giants, and one day he came 
to a castle where there lived a princess with 
long golden hair. And Dark-brow was very 
glad, and said in his heart, “ Here is the beau- 
tiful princess who is dearer to me than all the 
world;” and he knelt down and kissed her 
hand. But his eyes could not see plainly 
because of the thick crape, and after a little 
time he knew that he had made a mistake, for 
this princess was not Charmshine, and it was 


1 68 King Gab's Story Bag. 

Charmshine he had loved in his heart all the 
time, and no one else. 

Then Dark-brow went on farther with a sad 
heart, for he thought he might never see the 
princess with the charm of sunshine again. 
And as he journeyed he was joined by two 
other princes, who were going the same way. 
And Dark-brow said, “ Let us go and seek 
adventures in the wild land of the Black 
Wood ; and the two princes agreed. But 
when they came to the Black Wood they heard 
a great roaring of wild beasts, and the two 
princes felt afraid. So one of them said, 
“ Shall we go back ? I have got a good ear for 
music, and I am afraid this noise will spoil it.” 

And the other said, “ As for me, my mother 
told me never to go into dark places, for fear of 
spoiling my eyes.” 

So Dark-brow answered, “ Let us part. 
Here are three roads : one passes along in the 
sunshine upon the side of the mountain — 
Prince Soft-eyes can go that way. And here 
along the edge of the wood is another path ; 
there are no wild beasts along here — Prince 
Sing-song can take that path. As for me, I 



PRINCE DARK-BROW GOING INTO THE WOOD 


[Page 168 . 



























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Charmshine . 


169 


shall go through the midst of the wood ; for if 
no one tries to kill the wild beasts, how will 
the wood ever become safe?” 

So they parted. Soft-eyes gathered a lot 
of flowers, and took them home to show his 
mother and his cousins along what dangerous 
places he had climbed. Sing-song found three 
dead pups of some wild beast, and took home 
the skins to be stuffed with straw; and once, 
when some little pups ran out of the wood and 
snarled at him, he swung his sword about, and 
roared out in his fine voice, and the pups ran 
away. Afterwards he thought he must have 
killed them — at least he said so — and that the 
skins he took once belonged to them. 

But Dark-brow met with many wild beasts, 
and slew some, and wounded others ; but he 
was too busy with them to think of dragging 
home any skins. At last, when he was passing 
a high-pointed rock, he met a monster with 
eyes like fire, claws like steel, and teeth like 
bolts of iron ; and he said to himself, “ My end 
is come, but I will give the beast a wound 
or two.” 

Now it happened that both Sing-song and 


170 King Gab's Story Bag . 

Soft-eyes could see Dark-brow and the monster 
on the rock. Dark-brow raised his sword and 
made a blow at the monster as it sprang 
towards him. But the sword did not make 
any cut at all, for the hair of the monster 
seemed like jags of metal. Then Dark-brow 
gave a terrible stroke with his sword right into 
the monsters mouth, but the sword snapped in 
pieces in the teeth of the brute. Then Dark- 
brow threw away the broken hilt, and was left 
with no weapon before the furious beast. 

“ How wrong it was of Dark-brow to go into 
this danger!” said Soft-eyes. “ Why could he 
not have left the wild beasts to be killed by 
some one else ?” 

And why did he try to find out the worst 
monster in the wood ?” cried Sing-song, as if it 
was not the monster that had searched him out. 

“ How wicked of him to break his sword !” 
said Soft-eyes. 

“ How stupid of him to throw away the 
hilt!” cried Sing-song. 

But they did not run towards the rock to 
help Dark-brow. 

Then Dark-brow flung himself right on to 


Charmshine . 


171 

the monster, and clutched him by the throat 
with his naked hands ; and the monster bit 
Dark-brow’s shoulder with its teeth, and tore 
his arms and body with its claws, till all Dark- 
brow’s clothes were stained with blood. But 
Dark-brow squeezed the monster’s throat with 
all his might, and pushed the brute to the edge 
of the rock. 

“ Let go the beast and r.un away!” cried 
Sing-song. “ It is only pride and obstinacy to 
keep on fighting.” 

As for Soft-eyes, he began to cry, and said, 
“ Now we shall see them fall over the edge 
together.” 

But when they were quite to the edge the 
monster rolled over Dark-brow, and took a 
spring down the precipice, and Dark-brow 
would have fallen over only he caught at a 
jagged piece of rock, and held on, and crawled 
up, and went on his way, and passed through 
the forest ; and at last, strange to say, came to 
the very castle where Charmshine lived. 

And the beautiful princess knew him again, 
and said to her maidens, “ The prince is very 
near to death ; make haste and fetch some 


172 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


meat out of the larder, and bring a flask of 
wine, and some bandages for the wounds.” 

But nothing did Dark-brow so much good 
as the kind looks of the princess. 

Now in all this time the piece of crape that 
made Dark-brows face so dark, and that made 
the world so black to him, had been growing 
very tattered ; it had been much torn by the 
claws of the wild beast, and now hung only in 
shreds. And it came to pass that as Princess 
Charmshine bound up his wounds, her long 
golden hair fell over his forehead and face, and 
covered the crape ; and in an instant the crape 
all broke away and vanished, for the Charm of 
the Sunshine had joined with the Dread of the 
Night, and the evil spell passed away. 

So the weight of darkness was lifted from 
the prince, and he could see the world fair and 
bright ; and as he lifted up his eyes to look 
there stood before him the beautiful princess 
whom he had loved from the first, and whose 
charm of sunlight had made him free. 

But, moreover, it happened that this was 
the birthday of the princess, when her hair 
must be cut, and so the kings tailor came to 


Charmshine. 


173 


the palace with his big scissors. But there 
were some princes at the Court who said 
that it was a shame that such beautiful 
hair should be cut, and they caught the 
tailor on the palace steps, and ran away 
with the scissors, and threw them into a 
dark thicket. 

When the tailor went up to the king and 
told him, the king was in great alarm, and the 
queen began to cry, and the courtiers rubbed 
their foreheads, wondering what to do. And 
then every one of them went out of doors to 
search for the scissors ; and all the servants 
went, even to the cook and the scullion, but the 
scissors could not be found. And the princes, 
when they found out what a bad piece of work 
was done, and that Charmshine’s life was in 
danger, looked in the thicket with the others, 
but it was so very dark that no one could find 
the scissors. 

At last the queen ran into the palace to see 
if Charmshine was yet dead ; and she fell upon 
her neck and told her all the story. 

Then Dark-brow jumped up, and said, “ I 
will go and find the scissors, for I have been 


174 King Gab's Story Bag. 

through the Dark Wood, and I shall be able to 
see them.” 

So he hastened away, and crawled into the 
dark thicket, though it tore away his bandages 
and hurt him very much, and found the 
scissors, and came back in time, and the life 
of the princess was saved. And the king and 
the queen were overjoyed, and Dark-brow and 
Charmshine were more happy than words can 
tell, and that very night were married together 
with great pomp. 


Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister. 175 


LOLLY DUMPS AND HER BIG SISTER. 

Lolly Dumps was a round, fat, heavy baby, 
not a year old, so her big sister had to carry 
her about and take care of her. Her name 
was Lucinda, for as her mother was very poor, 
and could give her no fine clothes, and no fine 
toys, she gave her a fine name instead, for that 
cost nothing. As for toys, Lolly Dumps was 
the only toy ever given to Lucinda, and her 
mother told her to be sure and not drop her, 
for fear she should break: 

Lolly Dumps was a great weight for her 
big sister to carry about. And Lucinda was 
a dumpy, stumpy, stunted girl, not so very 
much bigger than Lolly. But then she must 
be called Lolly Dumps’ big sister because she 
had charge of her ; and, besides, though 
Lucinda was thin and small, she had a great 
opinion of herself. 

“Now get off, will you, to school!” cried 
the mother one morning. “You know I’m 
going to the Baths and Wash’uses. So be 


176 King Gab's Story Bag. 

off, and take Lolly with you. Do you hear, 
Lucinda?” 

She must have been very deaf if she did 
not, that is certain. 

“ I’m just a-going, mother,” said Lolly’s 
big sister in a small voice, for she was afraid 
her mother meant to give her a slap to add 
weight to her words. 

“ Here’s your dinners,” cried the mother. 
“ Now off with you !” 

The mother gave Miss Lucinda a packet 
of sandwiches — the bread cut very thick, and 
the meat left out. It was done up neatly in 
a piece of old newspaper — not half large 
enough. Lucinda clutched up her sister, and 
staggered under her weight down the stairs into 
the street, leaving the poor mother to go and 
work hard at the washing. 

Lolly Dumps made a good big parcel, rather 
heavy to carry. 

“There you go, Lolly!” cried the big sister, 
as she opened her arms all of a sudden, and let 
the living lump fall on a door-step. Lolly did 
not seem to mind, for she did not cry, nor yet 
tnove, but rested just where she fell. 


Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister . 177 


“ Oh my ! how you do tire these here 
arms!” said Miss Lucinda, stretching the thin 
bony things in front of her. 

Just then one of her young lady friends 
passed on the other side the way. 

“ Hullo, Molly I” cried Miss Lucinda. 
'‘Yah, my gal! Off to school?” 

“Yes; ain’t you?” replied her friend. 

“ When I likes,” said Miss Lucinda. 
“Ain’t in no hurry. Here, I wants you!” 

But Miss Molly passed on as if she were 
too modest to think she could be wanted. 

“ That’s the way you serves me,” said 
Lucinda to herself ; “ I’ll give you a turn !” 

Off she ran down the street, came up to 
her friend before she was aware, and made a 
clutch at Miss Molly’s crinoline, which she had 
been envying a long time. Miss Molly felt 
hurt in her dignity, and struggled very bravely 
to save her crinoline. It was a grand tussle. 
Once Miss Lucinda went to the wall ; twice 
against a lamp-post, bumping her head ; and 
Miss Molly and her crinoline once reached 
the gutter. But Lucinda got the worst of the 
battle ; her nose was hit, and her hair pulled, 

M 


178 King Gab's Story Bag. 


and she gave up. Miss Molly tried to bend 
back her crinoline into shape, and then ran 
down the street. 

“Yah, my gal!” cried Lucinda. “You 
don’t know what I wanted you for. See if I 
don’t pay you out!” 

Then she came back to the door- step, and 
began to gather up Lolly, but another of her 
friends came along. 

“ Well, I never ! here’s Sally Smut, the 
lame girl. Here, Sal !” cried Lucinda ; “ you’re 
always a-walking up and down the streets 
doing nothing. What are you after?” 

“ I’ve been a harrand for mother,” answered 
Sally. 

“What! getting that dab of butter!” 
asked Miss Lucinda. Why didn’t you get 
a penn’orth while you were about it?” 

“ If you’ve on’y a ha’penny ’tain’t easy to 
get a penn’orth,” answered Miss Sally. “ You 
may think yourself mighty fine, but you ain’t 
clever enough for that.” 

“ None of your sauce now,” cried Miss 
Lucinda, “or I’ll be even with you.” 

“You ain’t worth wasting no sauce on, 


Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister. 179 


my dear/’ answered her friend, “ you’re too 
skinny.” 

Miss Lucinda opened her arms again, and 
down fell Lolly on to the pavement ; then the 
big sister sprang forward to avenge the insult. 
The lame child could not get out of the way, 
and Lucinda had the pleasure of dabbing the 
hand that held the butter into the poor child’s 
smutty face. For a moment the butter and 
the paper stuck on Miss Sally’s nose. Then 
she took it all off as well as she could, and 
went away crying. But Miss Lucinda went 
back in high glee, feeling that this victory made 
up for her former defeat. Then she picked up 
Lolly, and went off to school, with a fine story 
to tell the girls of the way she had treated Sally 
Smut. 

Now the governess heard her telling the 
tale, and felt very sorry. So, when the lessons 
were done, the governess told a tale too, out 
loud, of a selfish girl who grew up with no 
one to love her, and who died at last by 
bursting in a passion. It was a sad story, 
and Miss Lucinda thought of it very much. 

Before the day was over, Lolly Dumps was 

U 2 


i8o 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


dropped about a good many times by the big 
sister. But Lolly never got hurt — she was so 
fat and good-tempered. Lolly never seemed to 
mind what befell her, and so every fall seemed 
to agree with her. 

“ Now, Lucy,” said the mother at night, 

“ come and have supper.” 

Miss Lucinda jumped up, crying, “ Oh, 
ain’t I hungry, neither!” 

“ Did you put Lolly to bed at the right 
time?” asked the mother. 

“ Guess I did — I did — yesterday 1” answered 
Lucinda. 

“ Didn’t you to-day, you little hussey ?” 
cried the mother. 

Miss Lucinda Dumps looked dumpy, and 
was dumb. 

“When did you put her to bed to-day?” ■ 
The mother spoke in a loud voice. 

“ Forgot to,” answered Lucinda, very low. 

“ Forgot to I” cried the mother. “ I told 
you to undress her at six o’clock. Why didn’t 
you ? What have you been doing ?” 

“ Been playing at hide-and-seek,” answered 
Lucinda mournfully. 


Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister. i8r 

“ When did you put her to bed ?” cried the 
mother again. 

“ Dunnow,” said Lucinda. “ Forgot to. 
Ain’t put her to bed.” 

“ Aint put her to bed !” cried the mother, 
stamping her foot. “ Good gracious ! where 
is she then ?” 

“ Dunnow !” Lucinda answered. “ S’pose I 
dropped her somewheres I” 

“You wicked thing! Tell where you’ve 
dropped her!” The mother shakes her fist. 

Miss Lucinda began to feel frightened, 
and hardly knew what to say. “ I dunnow 
where I dropped her. It was somewheres, 
though.” 

“ Tell me where this minute,” cried the 
mother, “or I’ll beat you!” 

“Oh, mother, mother, please don’t!” cried 
Lucinda pitifully. “ I won’t do it no more.” 

“ Tell me where you’ve dropped her then,” 
said the mother, “ or I shall break my heart for 
grief.” 

“ Oh, please I’ll go and see,” cried Lucinda, 
and she began to look about. 

The mother helped her. They searched 


182 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


under the chairs and tables and beds, and in 
the coal-scuttle and chest of drawers, and up 
the chimney, but found no baby. 

“ Now, was it in the house,” asked the 
mother, “ or in the street, you dropped her — 
you careless child, you ?” 

“ In the house,” said Lucinda aloud ; for 
she felt she must say something. Then to 
herself, “ I dunnow. What a worry that baby 
is ! S’pose I dropped it in the road, and it’s 
got run over — I dunnow — hope no one will 
ever find it, if it is run over, else shan’t I 
catch it 1” 

The mother went upstairs to her neighbour 
overhead, crying as she went. 

“ Have you seen my baby, Mrs. Grump, 
my beautiful baby? Here’s that dreadful girl, 
Lucy, gone and dropped it somewheres, and ' 
we can’t find it!” 

“ Lor’ bless you, as if I’d seen your baby 1” 
answered the lady. “ I don’t want to see your 
baby. What do you think I should want of 
your baby, with two fine ones of my own ?” 

“Well, Mrs. Grump, you needn’t aggra- 
wate,” said the poor mother. “ My Lolly is a 


Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister. 183 

finer one than your two if they was rolled into 
one.” 

“That’s a nice pride!” cried the lady. 
“ Well may you be punished for such wicked- 
ness. If your baby’s lost, it’s lost, and I wish 
you may find it, that’s all I say.” 

All this time the mother had been looking 
under the bed, and in all the corners, and up 
the chimney. And, to do her neighbour justice, 
even while she was “ aggrawating” — as Mrs. 
Dumps chose to call her words of condolence 
— she also was searching busily into cupboards 
and drawers, the sink and the cinder-box. 

But no baby ! 

Mrs. Dumps hastened upstairs to the lodger 
in the attic. 

“ Oh, Mrs. Dufdeaf !” she cried, “ have you 
seen my baby?” 

“ Dear me ! yes,” she answered, “ it was 
hanging up on a nail behind your door.” 

The mother staggered against the wall, faint 
with fear. 

The good old deaf soul went on — “ You 
mean the one with yaller strings, don’t you ?” 

“ No, not my bonnet — my baby,” cried the 


184 King Gab’s Story Bag. 

mother, cheering up. “ Have you seen my 
baby ?” 

“ Oh, certingly, certingly,” answered the 
old lady ; “ I’ll come and see it now, if you 
like.” 

The mother now shouted as loudly as she 
could, “ I say, have you seen it up here any- 
wheres ?” 

“A cup of tea with you?” said Mrs. Duf- 
deaf; “oh, yes, certingly. I shall be proud. 
I’ll come to-morrow.” 

Mrs. Dumps felt distracted. She could not 
bear this any longer, and as she could see no 
trace of her baby, she hurried downstairs again, 
and this time went to the kitchen. 

“ Mrs. Tipple,” said she to the lodger there, 
“ please have you seen my baby?” 

“ Well, my dhear,” answered the lady 
kindly, “ come an’ sit down wid me a minute. 
I’m jist havin’ a wee dhrop of comfort.” 

“ No, thank you,” said Mrs. Dumps ; “ I’m 
in trouble about my baby.” 

“ Well, there’s nothin’ like a dhrop of 
sperrit when you’re in trouble,” said the lady. 
“ It’s a mighty help to gettin’ your own sperrits 


Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister. 185 

up agin. I’ve got an exparience in the pint, I 
can tell yer. I’m most allars in trouble mesel’, 
an’ I don’t know what I would do without a 
dhrop or two.” 

“But have you seen my baby?” cried the 
mother. 

“ Now, Mrs. Dumps,” said the other in a 
loud voice, “ I’ll jist thank yer to let alone my 
boxes and my drawers, or you an’ I’ll have a 
bit of a row as’ll have no end to’t.” 

“ I am only looking for my baby,” explained 
the visitor. 

“ I don’t care what you’re lookin’ arter,” 
said the other. “ D’yer s’pose I’m a receiver 
of stolen property? So, hands off, me dhear, 
or I’ll hands on!” 

Mrs. Dumps left the room, rubbing the 
tears out of her eyes. 

“Here, mother! mother!” cried Lucinda. 
“ I’se found baby!” The voice seemed to 
come from the area. 

Mrs. Dumps rushed along the passage to 
the coal-hole. By the flaring light of a candle 
held in Miss Lucinda’s hand, she saw her baby 
lying in sweet sleep among the coals, just where 


1 86 King Gab's Story Bag. 

it had been dropped by the big sister some 
hours before. Perhaps Lolly had been well 
pleased to get to sleep without the fuss of 
undressing. 

The mother snatched her up, and kissed 
and kissed her until all the smuts were smeared 
away. Then she ran upstairs with her to the 
neighbours. “ Look at the darling!” she cried. 
“ See, she’s none the worse — bless her little 
heart ! ” 

“ I wonders whether mother ’ll give me a 
beatin’,” thought Miss Lucinda. “ My ! how 
she did kiss Lolly! S’pose she loves it. Well, 
I’m glad it’s found. I found it. I’m the gal 
to be useful. As I found Lolly, I don’t think 
mother ought to beat me. Ought to be 
beaten, though. Poor Lolly in the coal- 
hole ! Ought to be beaten, but I don’t want 
to. I’ll get off to bed, and perhaps mother will 
forget me to-night. Hope mother won’t come 
and beat me in bed. If she does, hope I’ll 
sleep sound and not know it. Ain’t I hungry, 
neither ! But I s’pose I must go to bed with 
no supper.” 

Miss Lucinda Dumps went to bed. Think- 


Lolly Dumps and her Big Sister. 187 


ing she heard her mother’s step on the stair, 
she shut her eyes and pretended to snore, 
saying to herself, “Will she beat me in my 
sleep? Dunnow — I’ll see.” Her last waking 
thoughts were these : “ I s’pose I must grow up 
a better gal, else I shall bust in a passion and 
die. I’ll be kinder to Sally Smut to-morrow, 
and I won’t drop Lolly about so much — but 
she did not break, after all I” 


1 88 


King Gab’s Story Bag . 


KING TRICK-TRASH. 

Of all the friends she had, little Lilian liked 
best her cousin Grey-grim — that was the name 
she called him — for when he came she used to 
bring her stool close up to his chair, or else she 
would sir on his knee, and he would tell her the 
most beautiful stories — at least she thought 
them so, though her brother Dick did not 
think much of them, and went away to spin 
his top. 

One day, as little Lilian nestled on Cousin 
Grey-grim’s arm in the summer-house in the 
garden, and everything was quiet except the 
pretty songs of the birds, she asked him to tell 
her one of his stories. So he looked into her 
eyes a little, and smiled, and stroked her long 
fair hair down her cheek, and then began. 

“ I think I will tell you to-day about the 
last visit I made into Fairy-land. You must 
know, then, that a little while ago I strolled 
into a thick wood, and under the sighing 
boughs of an old willow I lay my body down 


King Trick-Trash . 


189 


on the soft grass — very gently, so as not to 
hurt the grasshoppers, and the daddy-longlegs, 
and the ladybirds that happened to be lodging 
about there ; for you know the fairies have 
fancies for all sorts of creatures, and will not 
love you if you are cruel to their pets. 

“ Well, when I was quite still in the long 
grass, the buttercups began to nod at me, as 
much as to say, ‘ Something is going to 
happen/ And the little leaves overhead kept 
on whispering to one another, but as they 
would talk all at once I could not make out 
what they said. Then a troop of flies, dressed 
in gauze, came and performed a fantastic dance, 
which was indeed very pretty, only they would 
keep too near my nose. Then two red ants, 
fierce as warriors, made an assault on my left 
hand ; but it only tickled a little. And a fat 
hairy caterpillar fell on to my coat-sleeve, with- 
out asking leave, and moved slowly up and 
down before my eyes, to make me look at her. 
She had spots like gems on her head, and 
seemed to fancy herself as fine as a dowager 
dressed in furs. But I hope no one is obliged 
to keep on looking at very fat people unless 


190 King Gab's Story Bag. 

you are their husband ; so I raised my eyes and 
noticed a green lizard on the sunny side of a 
branch, staring at me very rudely. And she 
kept on staring more and more till her eyes 
seemed to grow larger than her body; but I 
did not like to say anything unkind to any of 
these creatures, for the fairies’ sake. 

“ Well, next, a pretty fairy stepped out of a 
lily-bell, where she had been watching me, and 
she came and sang such a lovely song, only the 
verses were all alike. Oh, you should have 
seen her wings ! No lace could be so fine, nor 
jewels so bright. When the song was quite 
done — it had seventy-seven verses in it, all just 
alike — a spry little green goblin climbed up a 
thistle and cried out to me, ‘ Now you will see 
what you do not expect ! ’ 

“ Now he had not noticed that it was a 
nettle he was climbing upon, and he stung him- 
self dreadfully. So he jumped off, and ran to 
a dock-leaf, and stretched out his green limbs 
on it, and tore off a piece, and began to rub his 
poor body from head to foot. Oh, did not he 
make odd grimaces ! 

“ Well, just then there came floating along 



THE FAIRY BALLOON 


[Page 190 . 






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King Trick-Trash. 19 1 

a fairy balloon that shone as if it were made 
out of a rainbow. A grappling-iron was thrown 
out to fix it to the thistle, and then there 
stepped out from the feathery car one of my 
* dear fairy friends. I wish you could have seen 
her — and so you must some day. She was 
very fair, with a faint blush of rose in her 
cheeks ; her dress was all white, with a girdle 
of diamonds, and she wore diamonds for her 
necklace and bracelets, and slippers of glass 
smaller than Cinderella’s. Her hair was very 
long, and like gold in the sunlight ; and her 
eyes were soft and gentle, and blue like violets. 

Will you go a journey with me?’ asked 
fair Fanette, for that was her name. 

“‘ Yes, with all my heart/ said I. 

“‘But not with your body,’ said Fanette, 
smiling. ‘ You must leave that here till we 
come back.’ 

“Then she called to a blackbird that was 
singing close by, and told him to watch from 
the bough overhead, and to whistle very loudly 
if any accident were about to happen, so that I 
might come back in time to my body. 

“ Then the fairy touched my hand with her 


192 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


wand, which was made of twisted pearls, and I 
stood up in my spirit outside my body, and 
found myself dressed in beautiful silks and 
gems, but so light that I felt I could walk on a 
sunbeam. Then Fanette and I took our places 
side by side in the fairy balloon, and a little 
black goblin like a nigger pulled up the 
grappling-iron, and off we went as fast as the 
wind. Off we went over the fields, and lakes, 
and hills, and past some strange countries, and 
then we came to the kingdom of King Trick- 
trash. As we journeyed along the fairy told 
me that the king was just going to be married, 
and that she had promised to be there at the 
Court. 

“ When we reached the kings country we 
left our balloon at the gate, where were many 
other fairy cars and carriages. Then we walked 
on through such a wonderful country ! Why, 
the leaves of the trees turned into cake directly 
you plucked them, and the flowers tasted as if 
they were made of sweets. The rivers were 
bright, and of different colours, for they all ran 
with wine. We were told, too, that in the cold 
parts of the country there were rivers that ran 


King Trick-Trash . 


193 


with tea and coffee, with milk and sugar ready 
mixed ; but I do not know whether this is true, 
for I have not yet seen this myself. But it was 
certainly a wonderful country for getting a 
dinner. Sausages grew like broad beans, and 
frizzled in the sun, and plum-puddings just like 
cabbages. Apple-dumplings were as plentiful 
as blackberries, and ice-creams came of them- 
selves in the cups of the white flowers. Only 
it was so hard to get a good appetite in that 
country, for all the things round you were so 
nice to eat. And yet, do you know, we came 
presently to one little fay who was seated on 
a toadstool, dining on duck and goose, and 
pancakes and strawberries, and making faces 
over every mouthful. 

Ah/ said fair Fanette, ‘ that is poor Tort- 
taste. It does not matter what he eats, it all 
tastes nasty to him/ 

Why/ said I, ‘then it is not of much use 
to him having all this food growingwild/ 

“Just then, hearing us talk, Tort-taste 
looked up, and at once threw over his table, 
and ran and knelt down before the beautiful 
fairy, and kissed her hand. 


194 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


‘“Ah, poor Tort-taste,’ said she, ‘ how very 
thin and hungry you look ! ’ 

“‘Yes,’ he replied sorrowfully, ‘and yet for 
a whole fortnight I have done nothing but try 
to eat, to keep myself from starvation ; but 
everything tastes so bad I Oh dear, how 
hungry I am !’ 

“‘ Is that because you are very dainty?’ I 
asked, ‘ or why is it ?’ 

“‘Oh, no, no! I am not dainty at all,’ 
he answered. ‘ But King Trick-trash has 
been playing one of his tricks on me, and 
made me taste something at his palace that 
has made everything else taste nasty ever 
since.' 

“‘Will you come with us to the Court?’ 
said Fanette. 

“‘I am afraid,’ he answered. ‘ Perhaps the 
king would pay me another ill trick.’ 

“‘ But perhaps the new queen would have 
pity on you,’ said Fanette, ‘ and give you some 
of the strange food out of the palace larder.’ 

“‘Well, I will go and see,’ said the poor 
hungry fay. 

“ But we had not walked very far before 


King Trick-Trash . 195 

Tort-taste fell flat on the ground, so hungry 
and so empty was he. 

“ Then we sat down on either side of him 
in great trouble. 

“ Presently a thought came to me, and I 
said to the fairy, ‘ You know, my dear Fanette, 
your magic wand can do many wonderful 
things, and there is no knowing what it can’t 
do. Would not you like to see if you can help 
poor Tort-taste with it ?’ 

“ And Fanette’s eyes looked very pleased, 
and she jumped up and said, ‘ Let us try !’ 

“So I gathered a lot of leaves and flowers, 
and they turned into pies and puddings ; and 
Fanette stirred them up with the magic wand ; 
but the poor fay spit them out. 

“ At last Fanette touched Tort-taste’s tongue 
with the magic wand, and I gave him a piece of 
pie, and he ate it, and did not spit it out ; and 
then he finished the pie, and then another and 
another, and drank up almost a river of wine, 
while we laughed merrily to see him growing 
happy and fat. 

“ We had not walked on very much farther 
before we overtook a queer-looking elfin dame. 

N 2 


196 


King Gab’s Story Bag. 


Her dress was yellow and green, and was 
hooked up awry so as to leave one shoulder 
bare ; her hair was parted zig-zag ; her bonnet 
was tied on upside-down ; and she had a boot 
on one foot and a slipper on the other. And 
what was the reason ? Why, she had a dread- 
ful squint. Oh, she had such a dreadful cross- 
squint that when she looked at you you could 
not tell which was her right eye and which her 
left ! Her name was Madam Wry-eyes. 

“ When we had nearly come up to her, she 
sat down on a daisy-stool for a short rest ; but 
she sat on one side of it, and rolled right over, 
all because of her squint. Tort-taste helped her 
up, and brought her a tray with some fruit and 
wine, as she seemed faint through her tip over. 
Now she meant to take a glass, but took hold 
of a sharp knife instead, and cut her fingers, 
and began to cry, all because of her squint. 

“ Well, the magic wand soon cured the poor 
dame’s cut, and then Fanette began to wave it 
up and down before the elfin’s eyes, and after a 
time the dreadful squint gave way, and the eyes 
came to look straight. You should have heard 
how much madam thanked the fairy! — but 


King T rick- T rash. 1 97 

no, you should not, it might have made you 
tired. 

“ Then we all started off together, and I 
asked the elfin dame what had made her eyes 
so bad, and whether she was going to the 
Court. 

“‘Yes,’ said she, 'I am, for King Trick- 
trash is my godfather, and when I was 
christened he sprinkled some dust in my eyes, 
which made them bad, because he had a spite 
against my mother; for when she was a little 
elf she ran away with one of his slippers, and 
made a cart of it to pull a pet kitten in.' 

‘“Why, it seems very hard,’ said I, ‘that 
you should have had to suffer so much because 
your mother offended the king in her play. 
You could not have helped it, could you?* 

No, I do not think so/ she answered ; ‘ I 
was not born then/ 

“ Well, presently we came to a river of 
wine, and the elfin dame, stooping down to 
drink, noticed what a guy she looked. So she 
pulled off her bonnet and threw it away, because 
the trimming was too gaudy, and she tied her 
white kerchief round her head instead. Then 


198 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


she turned her dress inside out, to hide the 
colours, and show only the white lining; and 
she threw away her odd boot and slipper, and 
walked barefoot. So we journeyed on. 

“ But we soon came to a strange sight. 
There was a round hill, almost as steep as a 
sugar-loaf, and there we found & sorrowful 
green goblin, who was always walking round 
and round it. 

“‘What makes you look so sad?’ said I. 
‘ Come with us to the merrymaking at the 
Court.’ 

I wish I could,’ he answered ; ‘ I am tired 
of staying here. I have not been off this hill 
since I was a week old.’ 

‘“Then it is high time you had a change,’ 
said I ; ‘ so come with us at once.’ 

“‘Alas!’ cried he, ‘I cannot move any- 
where but here.’ 

“‘Nonsense!’ said the fay. ‘Come along, 
and we will take care of you.’ 

“‘Why,’ answered the sad goblin, ‘don’t 
you see that my right leg is longer than my 
left ? I could not walk on a level path, but 
only here where my short left leg is nearer the 


King Trick-Trash . 


199 


ground all the way round than my right, 
because of the slope of the hill/ 

“‘We are very sorry for you/ said I. ‘ Pray 
what is the cause of this ?’ 

“‘Why, when I was little/ he answered 
with sobs, “ King Trick-trash set me to walk 
round and round, with one of his servants 
behind me, almost touching me with a pitch- 
fork. So I had to keep on walking till one leg 
grew longer than the other, and I could not 
run away, and then the man and the pitchfork 
left me/ 

“ Well, all of a sudden Tort-taste seized 
the goblin’s short leg, and tipped him over 
and pulled and pulled at the leg, trying to 
stretch it as long as the other, the poor 
goblin roaring with pain. But the leg would 
not stretch. So I took hold of the fay, and 
pulled him away. 

“ Then fair Fanette tried to cure the lame- 
ness with the magic wand ; but, do you know, 
the limbs would not come even till they were 
beaten quite hard. But at last they came of 
the same length. Oh, you should have seen 
how the goblin ran and leapt and danced for 


200 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


joy, and how he flung himself at the fairy’s feet 
and thanked her for what she had done 1 

“ Well, as we journeyed on we met many 
other miserable gnomes and goblins. There 
was one poor elf whose ears had been sewn up, 
so that he could hear nothing; and another 
whose ears had been pulled by the king until 
they were stretched to the size of plates, so that 
even a whisper came upon his ear like a clap of 
thunder. We found an elfin who had once 
a beautiful voice, but her tongue had been 
stitched up ; and another whose nose had been 
pulled out to such a shape that everything 
smelt as strong as onions, besides the look of 
her face being spoilt. But indeed there is 
no telling of all the strange people we met, 
so you may suppose that I did not much love 
the king who was always playing such ill 
tricks. 

“It was a splendid sight when we came to 
where the king lived. The gardens were filled 
with lovely flowers, and with crowds of gay 
company. I never saw so many fairies, and 
gnomes, and elves before in my life ; and their 
dresses were most beautiful, in every kind of 


King Trick-Trash. 


201 


fashion, with rich lace, and gold, and gems. 
Some of them walked up and down the ter- 
races and talked, and some of them danced in 
fairy rings. The music was quite enchanting. 

"As for the palace, that seemed to be all 
built of ivory and precious stones ; and it had 
one grand hall where thousands of fairies could 
sit down. Here the royal marriage was to 
take place, and all the company took their 
seats here soon after we came, the bands play- 
ing beautifully all the time. 

How strange it is,’ said Dame Wry-eyes, 
‘ that the king has not told us yet who the new 
queen is to be. Do you know?’ she asked 
Fanette. 

No, indeed I do not,’ answered the Fairy. 

"‘Well,’ said the fat fay, Tort-taste, who 
was once so lean, * it is full time now, and it 
seems to me that the new queen has not come, 
whoever she is.’ 

“‘I hope she won’t come!’ said the green 
goblin. ‘ I hope she will pay King Trick- 
trash a trick, since he has played us so many. 
And I hope he will have to walk as far after her 
as I did round and round the mountain. And 


202 King Gab's Story Bag . 

I hope he will wear his legs off, and fall into a 
hole, and be killed/ 

“‘Hush!’ said Fanette ; ‘why do you not 
rather hope that he will learn to be good ?’ 

“ Just then the king seemed to notice that 
we were standing at the end of the hall, and he 
gave orders to two messengers. One of them 
went into a side room, and in a moment came 
back with twenty black goblins wheeling in two 
beautiful thrones made of gold and silver. One 
was the king’s, and he sat down on it. The 
other had a silk veil hanging from its roof, so 
that no one could see who was on the throne, 
but every one knew it must be the new queen. 

“ The other messenger came to us, and 
made a way for us right up to the front seats 
in the hall. 

“Then the king came down the steps of 
his throne, and went to the queen’s throne, 
and took hold of the veil to lift it ; and all the 
fairies and goblins made a great shout. But 
when the veil was lifted up, there was no one 
there, and all the company were silent with 
wonder. 

“ Then the king came over to where I was 


King Trick-Trash. 


203 


sitting, but not to me. He knelt at the feet 
of fair Fanette, and pointing to the queen's 
throne, said, ‘ Only you are worthy of this 
throne, Fanette, but I am unworthy of you. I 
have always loved you, but have feared to tell 
you so ; now I have prepared this feast, be- 
lieving that you are too kind to slight me 
before all this company, and refuse to be my 
queen. You will not do this ?’ 

“ When the multitude saw the king kneel- 
ing at the feet of the beautiful and good fairy, 
they raised a great shout for joy. 

“ But Fanette pushed the kings hand away, 
and stood up. ‘King Trick-trash,’ she said, 

‘ it is not fair to treat me like this. It is hard 
for me to refuse, but I must. Perhaps I loved 
you once, when I thought you just and good, 
but I can never love and marry a king whose 
subjects are miserable through his evil tricks.’ 

“ ‘ Oh, do not say that !’ cried the king — ‘ do 
not make me despair !’ 

“‘What fate do you think you deserve,’ 
she said sorrowfully, ‘ for the way you have 
made your people despair ?’ 

“‘I am a fool, and very wicked/ he 


204 King Gab's Story Bag. 

answered. ‘ But if I had not missed you so 
long, I should not have turned to my evil 
tricks. If you will only be my queen, we 
will undo all the mischief, and make my 
subjects happy.' 

“ ‘ No ; I cannot marry a king whose 
subjects are unhappy through his fault,' she 
answered. 

“ * Oh, Fanette !' he exclaimed, ‘ I love only 
you, and you say you might once have loved 
me. When I have undone all my ill deeds, 
and made my people happy, will you be my 
queen ? A few days might be enough, if you 
would help me.’ 

“ * If you will indeed do this,' answered 
Fanette, ‘ and make them all happy, and if 
when a year has passed you are good and true, 
then I will marry you with all my heart.’ 

“ Then the king kissed her cheek, and told 
the trumpeters to blow, and lifted up his hand, 
and cried aloud to all the people in these 
words — 

“ * I am afraid I have not seemed a very 
good king to all of you, but I want to do my 
best to make you all happy. If any of you 


King Trick-Trash. 


205 


know of any sort of trouble, please tell me, 
and it shall be cured. The fairy Fanette is to 
be the new queen this day next year, and till 
then she is going to help me make my country 
as happy as the night and day are long.’ 

“ You should have heard the shouting 
when this was said ! And yet, like me, you 
might have been nearly stunned. But still 
Fanette heard from far away the note of the 
blackbird, and was afraid that some one might 
be stealing my body. So she came up and 
said, ‘ I am sorry to lo.se you, but you must 
make haste back. Only, come again soon, and 
see how things go on here. Take my balloon. 
There is the blackbird again I Good-bye 1 ’ 

“So we parted. I ran off straight to the 
gates of the fairy kingdom, sprang into the 
balloon, and sailed away home as fast as I could. 
Then, saying some magic words Fanette had 
taught me, I entered my body, and opened the 
shutters of my eyes, and looked out to see 
what was the matter. 

“ Why, there was a huge beast bending over 
me — its great eyes staring right down, and its 
large white teeth within an inch of my nose 1 


206 


King Gab's Story Bag. 


Horror ! If my nose had been longer the end 
might have been bitten off. I slowly turned 
over, and rolled a yard away, and sat up. The 
monster was only a quiet old donkey. So I 
kissed my hand to the fairies and elves of the 
wood, and shook myself, and got on to my 
feet, and walked along here to tell Lilian my 
story.” 


THE 


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CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, 


JINGLES AND JOYS 

FOR WEE GIRLS AND BOYS. 

By that accomplished and popular writer Mary D. Brine, author 
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“Jingles and Joys,” etc. 4to, 256 pages, over 60 illustrations, 
double lithograph cover in nine colors, $1.25. Extra cloth, full 
gilt and colored inks (new style), $1.75. 

PAPA’S LITTLE DAUGHTERS. 

By Mary D. Brine, author of “My Boy and I; or, On the 
Road to Slumberland,” “Grandma’s Attic Treasures,” etc. 4to, 
256 pages, over 50 illustrations, double lithograph cover in nine 
colors, $1.25. Extra cloth, full gilt and colored inks (new style), 

$i-75- 


WILD ANIMALS AND BIRDS : 

THEIR HAUNTS AND HABITS. 

By Dr. Andrew Wilson. Large 4to, with eighty illustrations 
(over forty-five being full page), by Wolf, Specht, and others. 
Elegant lithograph cover in nine colors, $1.75. Bound in extra 
cloth, full gilt. Price, $2.50. 

All that the printer’s art can do has been done to make this book as attractive 
in appearance as in value. 

ODD FOLKS AT HOME. 

By C. L. Mat^aux, author of “Woodland Romances,” “Peeps 
Abroad,” etc. With several hundred illustrations. Fcap. 4to, 192 
pages, elegant lithograph cover in ten colors, $1.25. Extra cloth, 
black and gold, $2. 

MODERN EXPLORERS. 

“ An entertaining volume for the young folks.” By Thomas 
Frost, author of “ Half-Hours with the Early Explorers,” etc., 
etc. With over 100 illustrations, many of them full page. Elegant 
chromo cover in twelve colors, new and unique design, $1.25. 
Extra cloth, ink and gold, $2. 


3 


739 & 74 1 Broadway, New York. 


A NEW VOLUME 

By the popular author of “Fred. Bradford’s 
Debt,” “ Bessie Bradford’s Secret,” 
“The Bessie Books,” etc. 

HARRY BRADFORD’S CRUSADE. 

By Joanna H. Mathews. 4to, 256 pages, over fifty illus- 
trations, double lithograph cover in nine colors, $1.25. Extra cloth, 
full gilt and colored inks (new style), $1.75. 

“ The author of the ‘Bessie Books ’ is so well known that any book from her 
pen will have a hearty welcome, and this is one of her best efforts.” 

BY THE SAME AUTHOR 

FRED. BRADFORD’S DEBT. 

By Joanna H. Mathews, author of “Bessie Bradford’s Se- 
cret,” “The Bessie Books,” etc. 4to, 256 pages, over 50 illus- 
trations, double lithograph cover in nine colors, boards, $1.25. 
Extra cloth, full gilt and colored inks (new style), $1.75. 

BESSIE BRADFORD’S SECRET. 

By Joanna H. Mathews, author of “Fred. Bradford’s Debt,” 
“The Bessie Books,” etc. Fcap. 4to, 256 pages, fully illustrated, 
lithographed cover, back and front, $1.25. Cloth, full gilt side, 

$ 1 . 75 * 

“That these are delightful stories, Mrs. Mathews’s numerous juvenile readers 
will not need to be told. There is a sufficient number of engravings to satisfy the 
most exorbitant childish demand, while these volumes are in Mrs. Mathews’s 
happiest vein.” 

DAISY DIMPLE’S SCRAP BOOK. 

Size ioxl2j£ inches, with hundreds of pictures calculated to please 
the little ones. Bound in neat lithographic cover, in 12 colors. 
Price, $2.50. In extra cloth, gold and ink dies, $3.50. 


4 


CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, 


WITH DORE’S SUPERB ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Bible Scenes and Stories for Young Follts. 

With thirty-six full-page illustrations from the original designs 
by Gustave Doke. Text by F. McCreedy Harris (Hope Led- 
yard). In one elegant volume, with beautiful cbromo cover done 
in ten colors, $2. Extra cloth, gold and ink die, $3. 

“A superb volume. This handsome work, elegantly bound, and beautifully 
gotten up as to paper and type, will form a valuable addition to the Juvenile liter- 
ature of the day.” 


BY JENNY B. MERRILL. 

Bible Pictures and Stories for Little Folks. 

By Jenny B. Merrill. With 45 full-page illustrations. Extra 
crown 4to, boards, lithographed cover, $1. 

“ The illustrations in this book are from the ‘Child’s Bible,’ and are not the 
usual hackneyed mode of representing Bible scenes. Each has opposite it a full 
page of letterpress, explanatory of the picture. We take pleasure in recommend- 
ing this book, which will be such a fund of Sunday entertainment for the dear lit- 
tle people, and such a valuable auxiliary to mothers at their wits’ ends.” 

LITTLE FOLKS’ BIBLE GALLERY. 

With 46 full-page illustrations and simple stories. By Jenny 
B. Merrill. Extra crown 4to, lithograph cover, $1. 

“ ‘Little Folks’ Bible Gallery’ is one of the very best things in the market. 
Any ordinary child will be delighted with it. In subject, style, type, and illustra- 
tions it is perfectly adapted to the purpose. Any of our readers who may buy 
this for their little folks will feel kindly toward us for recommending it.” — Chris- 
tian Advocate. 

BIBLE STORIES FOR LITTLE ONES. 

i6mo, with full-page illustrations, 64 pages, lithograph cover, 6 
vols., each 25 cents. 

Noah’s Ark and other Stories. Ruth Gleaning, etc. 
Children’s Friend, etc. Infant Jesus, etc. 

The Wise King, etc. Joshua Commanding the Sun, etc. 

Sunday Chats with our Young Folks. 

By Clara L. Mat£aux. 4to, boards, $1.25; cloth, $2. 

The reader of Miss Mateaux’s books will welcome this volume, specially de- 
signed for Sunday reading. 


739 & 74 1 Broadway, New York. 


5 


LITTLE FOLKS. 

NEW VOLUME FOR THIS YEAR. 

Containing nearly 500 pictures, many full page, chromo frontis- 
piece ; about 400 pages, lithographed cover in ten colors, stamped 
back, $1.25. Cloth, full gilt sides, $1.75. 

“‘Little Folks’ surpasses all competitors for thorough-going fun and real in- 
terest.” — Rev. C. H. Spurgeon in the Sward and Trowel. 

“If any reader wishes to make his children happy, let him procure ‘Little 
Folks.’ ” — The Bookseller. 

“ Replete with pictures and reading matter well calculated to instruct and de- 
light the children.” — Chicago Evening Journal. 

BO-PEEP. 

NEW VOLUME FOR THIS YEAR. 

“Pronounced the Juvenile Book of the year.” An elegant 4to 
volume, full of illustrations, with delightful stories, in large clear 
type. Elegant lithograph cover, $1. Extra cloth, $1.50. 

“Our little people, who delight in bold, striking pictures, and large, readable 
type, will find a veritable treat provided for them in Bo-Peep, which contains 
Original Illustrations on nearly every page, together with Stories and Rhymes 
suitable for the little ones, by an author experienced in writing for Juvenile 
readers.” 

A Parcel of Children, with some Account of their Doings, 

By Olive Patch, author of “Happy Little People,” “Familiar 
Friends,” etc. Nearly 150 illustrations, many full page. 1 vol., 
4to, elegant lithographic cover. Price, $1.25. Extra cloth, gold 
and inks. Price, $2. 

BY ELLEN HAILE. 

HAZEL NUT AND HER BROTHER. 

By Ellen Haile, author of the “Two Gray Girls,” “Three 
Brown Boys,” etc. Fcap. 4to, 256 pages, fully illustrated, litho- 
graphed cover, $1.25. Cloth, full gilt, 1.75. 

“ This charming story will find a host of appreciative readers. ” 

Two Gray Girls, and their Opposite Neighbors. 

By Ellen Haile, author of “Three Brown Boys.” Over 40 
illustrations, 256 pages, fcap. 4to, boards, cloth back, lithographed 
cover, $1.25. Cloth, extra binding, in silver, gold, and black, $1.75. 

“ We must cordially recommend ‘ Two Gray Girls ’ to those who find themselves 
perplexed to know what books to buy for the children.” — Albany Journal. 

Three Brown Boys, and other Happy Children, 

By Ellen Haile. With many illustrations. Fcap. 4to, 256 
pages, in boards, cloth back, lithographed cover, $1.25. Cloth, 
gold, silver, and black, $1.75. 

“ It is a real child’s book, thoroughly realistic, teaching children to observe the 
things nearest at hand and to find an interest in them.” 


6 


CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, 


TOOTS AND HIS FRIENDS. 

By Kate Tannatt Woods. 4to, 96 pages, over 40 illus- 
trations, double lithograph cover. Price, 50 cents. 

TWICE TWO, AND OTHER STORIES. 

By Kate Tannatt Woods. 4to, 96 pages, over 40 illustra- 
tions, double lithograph cover. Price, 50 cents. 


THE OLD ARM CHAIR SERIES. 

SIX VOLUMES. 

* BACH VOLUME SOLD SEPARATE. 

Price per volume, 25 cents. 

The Largest and best Juveniles ever produced at so low a price. 
Containing large, readable type, and bold, striking pict- 
ures on every page, together with original Stories 
and Rhymes suitable for the little ones. 

Stories Told in the Old Arm Chair , . . 25c. 

Among the Snowflakes 25c. 

Wee Baby Stories 25c. 

Christian Bells , and other Stories , . . . 25c. 

Daisy Bright Eyes 25c. 

The Cats 9 Nursery 25c. 


PICTURE TEACHING. 

For Young and Old. By Janet Byrne. With more than 200 
illustrations. 4to, in elegant lithograph cover, $1. Cloth, $1.50. 

“ The most perfect book we know of for the home instruction of very little child- 
ren.” — Dr. Vincent in the Sunday-School Journal. 

“ It will be a great joy to any child.” — Standard. 


739 & 74 1 Broadway, New York. 


7 


Elegant Juveniles, at 40 cents each, in 1 6 mo vol- 
umes, fully illustrated, gold and two inks, mak- 
ing a handsome volume for the Little Folks, 

LITTLE RED SHOES, and other Tales. 

By Two Friends. i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink dies, 
40 cents. 

THE BROKEN PROMISE, and other Tales. 

By the Hon. Mrs. Greene. i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and 
ink dies, 40 cents. 

THE HOLIDAYS AT ILANDUDNO. 

i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink dies, 40 cents. 

GRANNY’S SPECTACLES, AND WHAT SHE 
SAW THROUGH THEM. 

i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink dies, 40 cents. 

ALGY’S LESSON. 

By S. E. De Morgan. i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink 
dies, 40 cents. 

THE HOP GARDEN. 

A Story of Town and Country Life. i6mo, fully illustrated^ 
gold and ink dies, 40 cents. 

LITTLE FABLES FOR LITTLE FOLKS. 

i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink dies, 40 cents. 

FLORA SELWYN ; or, How to Behave. 

i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink dies, 40 cents. 

A MONTH AT ASHFIELD FARM. 

i6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink dies, 40 cents. 

HID IN A CAVE and THE SELFISH 
LITTLE GIRL. 

l6mo, fully illustrated, gold and ink dies, 40 cents. 


8 


CASSELL & COMPANY, Limited, 


ON A CORAL REEF. 

The Story of a Runaway Trip to Sea. By Arthur Locker 
(J. H. Forbes). Square i2mo, fully illustrated, elegant double 
lithographic cover in nine colors, price, 75 cents. Extra cloth, ink 
and gold, $1.25. 

QUEEN OF THE TOURNAMENT, 

AND BUTTERFLY BALL AT MAPERLEY HALL. 

By Robert St. John Corbet. Square i2mo, fully illustrated, 
elegant double lithographic cover, in nine colors, price, 75 cents. 
Extra cloth, ink and gold dies, $1.25. 

MINCE PIE ISLAND. 

A Christmas Story for Mince Pie Eaters. By Robert St. John 
Corbet. Square i2mo, fully illustrated, elegant double litho- 
graphic cover in nine colors, price, 75 cents. Extra cloth, ink and 
gold dies, $1.25. 

KING GAB’S STORY BAG, 

AND THE WONDERFUL STORIES IT CONTAINED. 

By Heraclitus Grey. Square i2mo, fully illustrated, elegant 
double lithographic cover in nine colors, price, 75 cents. Extra 
cloth, ink and gold dies, $1.25. 

EVENING AMUSEMENTS AND DRAW- 
ING ROOM PLAYS. 

By Henry Dalton. A comprehensive manual of In-door Re- 
creation, including all kinds of Acting Charades, Proverbs, Bur- 
lesques, and Extravaganzas. 1 vol., i2mo, fully illustrated, extra 
cloth, gold and ink dies. Price, $1. 

Cassell’s Book of Sports and Pastimes. 

With more than 800 illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth extra, $3. 

“This elegant book affords an almost inexhaustible fund of amusement for all 
times and seasons, both in and out of doors.” 

Cassell’s Book of Indoor Amusement. 

Card Games and Fireside Fun. With a large number of illus- 
trations, $1.50. 

Amusements for old and young, in winter and in summer, will be found in these 
three books. With them, no more dull days and sleepy evenings. 



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